t 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

STEWART  S.  HOWE 

JOURNALISM  CLASS  OF  1928 

STEWART  S.  HOWE  FOUNDATION 


977.3 


cop. 4 

I.H.S. 


.  3 


-. 


0 

£ 


HON.   FRANK  O.   LOWDEN 


THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

OTTO  L.  SCHMIDT,  Chicago,  Chairman. 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER,  Secretary. 

EDWARD  BOWE. 

JOHN  J.  BROWN". 

JOHN  W.  BUNN 

WILLIAM  BUTTERWORTH 

LEON  A.  COLP. 

EOYAL  W.  ENNIS. 

EVARTS  B.  GREENE. 

D.  T.  HARTWELL  (Resigned). 

EDMUND  J.  JAMES. 

HARRY  PRATT  JUDSON  (Eesigned). 

HUGH  S.  MAGILL,  JR.  (Eesigned). 

GEORGE  PASFIELD,  JR. 

WILLIAM  N.  PELOUZE. 

A.  J.  POORMAN,  JR. 

THOMAS  F.  SCULLY. 

FREDERIC  SIEDENBURG. 

FREDERICK  H.  SMITH  (Deceased). 


1818 


1918 


The  Centennial 


OF  THE 


State  of  Illinois 


Report  of  the  Centennial  Commission 


Compiled  by 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER,  Secretary  of  the  Commission 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILL,. 

ILLINOIS  STATE  JOURNAL  Co.,  STATE  PRINTERS. 
1920 

24673— 1M 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.  Report  of  the  Centennial  Commission.    Preliminary 12 

2.  Organization  of  the  Commission  and  Plans  for  the  Observance 

of  the  Centenary  of  the  State 17 

3.  Important  Anniversaries  of  the  Centennial  Year 29 

4.  Centennial  Memorial   History 33 

5.  Centennial  Half  Dollar 34 

6.  Centennial  Memorial   Building 35 

7.  Pageants  and  Masques 37 

8.  Financial  Report 44 

9.  Official  Celebrations 49 

10.  Celebration  Illinois  Day,  December  3,  1917 52 

11.  The  Lincoln's  Birthday  Observance,  February  12,  1918 94 

12.  The  Centenary  of  the  Enabling  Act,  April  18,  1918 134 

13.  Randolph  County  Celebration,  July  4,  1918 223 

14.  Centenary  of  the  Promulgation  of  the  First  Constitution  of 

the  State  of  Illinois,  August  26,  1918 241 

15.  Vandalia  and  Fayette   County  Celebration,   September  24-26, 

1918 259 

16.  The  Observance  of  the  Centenary  of  the  Establishment  of  the 

State  Government,  October  5,  6,  1918 290 

17.  The  Chicago  Celebration,  October  8-13,  1918 322 

18.  The  Closing  Observance  of  the  Illinois  Centennial,  December  3, 

1918 33? 

19.  Documents: 

Report  of  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Director  of  the  Centennial 

Celebration 359 

Report  of  Halbert  O.  Crews,  Manager  of  Publicity 381 

Report  of  Frederick  Bruegger,  Pageant  Master 395 

Pageants  and  Masques.     Report  of  Wallace  Rice,  Pageant 

Writer 397 

Centennial  Flag  or  Banner 414 

The  Centennial  Posters 415 

Programs  of  the  Masques 421 

20.  Publications  of  the  Centennial   Commission 445 

21.  Index..  .  446 


OUR  ILLINOIS 

(The  Centennial  Hymn.) 
Words  by  Wallace  Rice.        Music  by  Edward  C.  Moore. 

Our  father's  God 

Thy  name  we  bless 

And  all  Thy  mercies  we  confess  with  solemn  joy : 

Our  prairies  rich  with  fruitful  loam, 

Our  rivers  singing  as  they  roam, 

The  happiness  that  is  our  home, 

Our  hope,  our  Illinois. 

How  many  times, 

Almighty  God, 

Our  fathers  passed  beneath  the  rod  Thy  years  employ! 

Grant  that  their  faith  be  justified 

In  us  for  whom  they  fought  and  died; 

Their  love  for  Thee  our  lasting  pride 

And  hope,  for  Illinois. 

Our  father's  God 

Put  forth  Thy  might; 

Thru'  Thee  may  we  defend  the  right,  The  wrong  destroy 

Lead  us  afar  from  greed  and  lust, 

Teach  us  our  duty,  make  us  just; 

In  Thee  our  best,  our  only  trust 

Our  hope  for  Illinois. 

Great  Lord,  Thy  law 

Hath  made  us  free 

And  all  our  Freedom  rests  on  Thee,  Our  stay  and  buoy 

We  give  Thee  praise  for  banished  fears, 

For  righted  evils,  contrite  tears; 

Keep  steadfast  to  her  stainless  years, 

Our  hope,  our  Illinois. 


CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION  CREATED 

AN  ACT  To  create  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  and  to  de- 
fine its  powers  and  duties. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illir 
nois,  represented  in  the  General  Assembly:  That  there  be  and  is 
hereby  created  a  commission  to  be  known  as  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission.  Such  commission  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Governor 
and  shall  consist  of  fifteen'members,  who  shall  serve  without  com- 
pensation, but  who  shall  be  allowed  their  actual  expenses  while 
engaged  in  official  business  of  the  commission  and  in  attending 
meetings  of  the  said  commission.  In  case  any  vacancy  shall  occur 
on  said  commission,  the  Governor  shall  fill  the  vacancy  by  appoint- 
ment. The  Governor  shall  designate  the  member  who  shall  be 
chairman.  The  commission  shall  elect  from  its  membership  a 
secretary  and  may  engage  such  employees  as  shall  be  deemed 
necessary. 

SECTION  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission : 

1.  To  arrange  for  and  conduct  a  celebration  in  honor  of  the 
Centennial  of  the  admission  of  the   State  of  Illinois   into   the 
Federal  Union. 

2.  To  compile  and  publish  a  commemorative  history  of  the 
State. 

3.  To  report  to  the  Fiftieth  General  Assembly  the  arrange- 
ments for  such  celebration. 

4.  To  make  a  complete  report   to   the   Fifty-first   General 
Assembly. 

SECTION  3.  The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  shall  expire 
when  it  shall  have  completed  its  duties  and  shall  have  made  a 
complete  report  thereof  to  the  Governor  and  the  Fifty-first  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  including  a  complete  statement  of  its  receipts  and 
expenditures. 

SECTION  4.  WHEREAS,  An  emergency  exists;  therefore,  this 
Act  shall  be  in  full  force  and  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

APPROVED  January  21,  1916. 


Report  of  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission 


c- 


^;£*!: 

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astiijp 


early  a  century  s^o  bhe  re  was  caWed  out  of  bhe 
olcl  l^prbbwesb  (oerriborxa.  new  sbabe,  destined  bo 
^?;i'  V-pla/a  nzosb  imporbanb  p<xrb  in  bhe  history  of  the  nation.    (90 
bhis^new  Conzntoiafc&iUz  was  ii^en  the  name  or  one  of  bhe  Areab 
Indian  bribes  bhat  came  to  a  tragic  end  on  hisboric  St<vn)ed  Rock* 

She  hisbor/  of  Illinois  is  a  wonderful  sbory^    "Her  raw 
prairies  h&.\)e  become  productive  fields.     Pioneer  settlements 
jjih&Oe  developed  inbo  MI^Aes,  and  Oilla^es  into  dre^-b  cibies.  Wl2ere 
-^^.-joizc 'hundred ye&rs  ago  on  bhe  shores  of  ba-ke  MichiAan  stood 

~lone]/  Fort  Dearbon?,  todd/ stands  our  great  metropolis. 
9  '  Q    1?o  humar2  mind  evcentu r/ ago,  hovc^ev'er  powerful    its 
,  could  hav'e  dreamed  of  the  things  that  hav^e 

to  pass  in  Illinois.  Great  has  been  the  dev*elop- 
.ent  of  her  material  resources,  but  greater  her  manhood. 
?e  ha?  furnished  men  to  meet  her  own  Areat  problems,  and 
men  bo  match  the^re&ter  problems-  of  the  natiorc. 

'>>  >      "Mot  Without  bliy  wondrous  storyV  Illinois,  Illinois, 

CT»'t)     Can  be  writ  the  nation's  /8lory,  Illinois,  Illinois. 

.;•''•'•  "* 

has  come  bo  us  of  bhis^eneratioi?  the  oppor- 
pn\?ileAe  of  celebrAbinA  the  one  hundredth 
of  the  admission  of  our  state  into  the  fed- 
eral   union.       We  should   take  <xd \7e\ntaie  o\~  this  op- 
porbunibv   bo  impress-  upon  the  minds  of  all   of  our 
people   bhe  vtonderful    stor/  of  the   progress   &nd 
.^development    of  Illinois. 

,-'i  (^b    carry' out   this  purpose    the  General  Assem- 
bly created    bhe  Illinois  Centennial  Commis-sioii, 
-,  the  members  of  which  ha\fe  been  Appointed   by 
'  the  Gov^eraor. 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  OBSERVANCE,   1918 
PRELIMINARY 

Before  the  great  war  cast  its  blighting  shadow  upon  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  the  people  of  Illinois  had  begun  to  look  for- 
ward to  the  observance  of  the  centenary  of  their  State. 

The  wonderful  story  of  the  Prairie  State  in  its  rise  from  the 
wigwam  of  the  Indian  and  the  camp  fire  of  the  explorer  and  the 
trapper,  recounts  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  by  winding  rivers, 
fathomless  lakes  and  trackless  forests,  recites  the  story  of  white 
souled  religious  men  who  carried  the  cross  of  Christianity  to 
heathen  nations,  of  daring  and  intrepid  explorers  who  sought  new 
and  richer  countries  in  the  name  of  their  king.  It  tells  of  gold 
and  silver,  of  iron,  lead  and  coal,  of  wild  beast  and  of  wilder  man, 
of  loyal  friendship  and  of  treachery,  of  filial  devotion  and  of 
romantic  love.  All  the  attributes  and  passions  of  human  nature 
have  played  their  part  in  making  the  thrilling  history  of  Illinois. 

Our  recorded  history  goes  back  to  the  discovery  of  the  great 
Mississippi  Eiver  by  the  Spaniard  Ferdinand  DeSoto,  who  before 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  a  small  company  of  his 
countrymen  had  found  his  way  from  the  Florida  coast  to  the  great 
inland  river. 

Tradition  tells  us  that  DeSoto  also  saw  the  waters  of  the  Ohio 
River,  and  if  this  be  true,  he  saw,  too,  the  Illinois  country.  Certain 
it  is  that  rumors  of  the  Illinois  country,  its  beauty  and  fertility, 
its  game  and  furs,  had  reached  the  ears  of  the  adventurous  French 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  Samuel  de  Champlain,  the 
historian  and  traveler,  was  the  first  of  his  nation  to  mention  it  in 
historical  writings. 

Spain  and  France  and  England  have  all  claimed  this  terri- 
tory. The  claims  of  Spain  were  shadowy.  France  discovered  and 
explored  the  country,  and  took  possession  of  it  and  held  it  for  a 
hundred  years.  England  conquered  France  upon  the  Plains  of 


14  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Abraham  at  Quebec,  in  1763,  and  through  that  victory  claimed 
all  of  the  American  dependencies  of  France,  including  the  Illinois 
country.  England  held  actual  sovereignty  over  Illinois  less  than 
fifteen  years,  nominally  from  1763  to  1778,  actually  from  1765, 
when  the  British  troops  took  command  at  Fort  Chartres,  until 
July  4,  1778,  when  the  little  settlements  on  the  Mississippi  Eiver 
became  a  part  of  Virginia  and  so  of  the  new  American  Eepublic. 
All  the  history,  romance,  and  traditions  of  the  two  and  a  half 
centuries  since  the  name  of  Illinois  first  made  its  appearance  on 
the  maps  and  in  the  historical  writings  of  France  is  ours,  but 
the  history  of  Illinois  since  its  admission  as  a  State  of  the  Federal 
Union  in  1818,  the  one  hundred  years  that  have  elapsed  since 
that  time,  our  first  century  as  a  sovereign  state  in  the  American 
Union,  are  what  we  have  commemorated  in  our  State  Centennial 
observance. 

When  the  war  for  American  Independence  was  ended  in  1781, 
the  thirteen  original  states  had  still  to  pass  through  some  critical 
years  before  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in  1788. 

During  the  struggles  of  the  Revolution,  the  proposed  limits 
of  the  new  Eepublic  had  been  extended  westward 'to  the  Mississippi 
Eiver  and  a  great  and  fertile  territory  wrested  from  Great  Britain 
by  the  amazing  military  feat  of  Col.  George  Eogers  Clark,  a  young 
Virginia  soldier,  who  with  a  small  army  of  undisciplined  border- 
men,  captured  the  little  village  of  Kaskaskia  which  was  then  on  the 
outmost  fringe  of  civilization.  This  he  did  in  the  name  of  Vir- 
ginia and  under  the  orders  of  its  governor,  the  illustrious  Patrick 
Henry.  This  momentous  event  occurred  July  4,  1778.  In  the 
following  February,  Clark  captured  Vincennes  on  the  Wabash 
Eiver.  The  conquest  of  these  frontier  military  posts  assured  to 
the  new  United  States  the  territory  which  now  embraces  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois  "Wisconsin,  Michigan  and  part  of  Minnesota,  the 
great  middle  western  states  which  form  the  very  heart  of  the  con- 
tinent, any  one  of  which  has  now  as  great  a  population  as  had 
the  entire  United  States  at  the  close  of  the  Evolutionary  War, 
and  two  of  the  states,  Illinois  and  Ohio  have  each  a  much  greater 
population. 


PRELIMINARY  15 

Following  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  by  the 
original  thirteen  states,  seven  states  were  admitted  to  the  Union 
before  Illinois  asked  to-be  permitted  to  become  one  of  the  sover- 
eign states.  These  were  Vermont  in  1791,  Kentucky  in  1792, 
Tennessee  in  1796,  Ohio  in  1802,  Louisiana  in  1812,  Indiana  in 
1816  and  Mississippi  in  1817.  Each  of  these  states  has  observed 
its  Centennial.  The  Centennial  observance  of  our  neighboring 
state,  Indiana,  celebrated  in  1916,  was  the  most  elaborate. 

In  1909  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  nation  and  the  world  ob- 
served the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Many  citizens  including  the  members  of  the  State  His- 
torical Society,  urged  that  Illinois  erect  some  adequate  and  endur- 
ing memorial  of  the  Lincoln  Centennial,  but,  while,  there  were 
many  brilliant  official  observances  of  the  anniversary,  the  State 
did  not  erect  a  permanent  memorial  on  the  occasion  of  the  centen- 
ary of  her  most  venerated  citizen. 

Feeling  that  the  neglect  of  this  opportunity  was  due  in  part, 
at  least,  to  the  failure  of  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  help  to  record 
and  preserve  state  history,  to  make  plain  to  the  people  of  Illinois 
the  importance  and  significance  of  the  occasion,  thoughtful  citizens 
hoping  to  avoid  the  error  made  in  regard  to  the  Lincoln  Centennial 
early  began  to  call  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  approach  of 
the  Centennial  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

We  do  not  admit  in  its  entirety  the  truthfulness  of  the  trite 
expression  that  republics  are  ungrateful,  but  we  must  agree  that 
republics  and  the  states  which  make  up  republics,  are  forgetful. 
This  is  because  events  move  so  rapidly  that  the  newer  emotions 
and  sentiments  crowd  out  of  the  interest  of  the  people  all  other 
than  things  of  the  urgent  and  insistent  present. 

The  busy  people  who  toil  on  the  farm,  in  the  mine,  in  the 
office  and  the  storeroom  make  the  economic  and  political  history, 
and  as  they  willingly  contribute  the  money  to  provide  and  carry 
on  the  machinery  which  makes  and  administers  their  laws,  so  as 
a  part  of  the  peoples'  organization  for  the  carrying  out  of  their 
ideals  and  for  their  welfare,  agencies  are  employed  by  them  to  plan 
their  memorials,  and  to  arrange  for  the  observance  of  their  his- 


16 

torical  anniversaries,  to  be  in  a  sense  the  keepers  of  their  historical 
consciousness  as  well  as  of  their  historical  records. 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  acted  as  the  agent  of  the 
people  of  Illinois,  in  planning  for  and  carrying  on  a  celebration  to 
commemorate  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  admission  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  into  the  Federal  Union. 


DR.  OTTO  L.   SCHMIDT 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  AND  ITS  PLANS 

FOR  THE  OBSERVANCE  OF  THE  CENTENARY 

OF  THE  STATE 

On  February  12,  1913,  Campbell  S.  Hearn,  a  member  of  the 
Forty-eighth  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois  represent- 
ing the  Thirty-sixth  Senatorial  District,  introduced  in  the  Senate 
a  resolution  which  provided  for  the  creation  of  a  commission  to 
plan  for  and  carry  on  an  adequate  celebration  of  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the  Federal  Union. 
This  resolution  was  amended  and  the  House  of  Representatives 
concurred  in  it  on  April  8,  1913. 

The  resolution  provided  that  a  commission  be  created  for  the 
purpose  of  observing  the  centennial  of  the  State  and  that  it  should 
consist  of  fifteen  members;  five  members  of  the  Senate  and  five 
members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  appointed  according  to 
the  usage  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  and  Edmund 
J.  James,  E.  B.  Greene  and  J.  W.  Garner  of  the  University  of 
Illinois  and  Otto  L.  Schmidt  and  Jessie  Palmer  Weber  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Society. 

The  Commission  met  in  the  office  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
in  the  Capitol  on  July  23,  1913.  The  members  of  the  Commission 
were  Campbell  S.  Hearn,  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Logan  Hay,  Henry 
W.  Johnson,  Kent  E.  Keller,  members  of  the  State  Senate,  and 
Representatives  John  S.  Burns,  John  Huston,  C.  C.  Pervier, 
James  F.  Morris  and  George  B.  Baker.  The  five  other  members 
of  the  Commission  were  those  persons  named  in  the  resolution. 
President  Edmund  J.  James,  Prof.  E.  B.  Greene,  and  Prof.  J.  W. 
Garner  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt, 
President,  and  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary  of  the  Illinois 
State  Historical  Society. 

17 
— 2  C  C 


18 

The  Commission  organized  at  this  its  first  meeting.  Senator 
Campbell  S.  Hearn  was  elected  chairman  and  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer 
Weber  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Commission. 

There  have  been  three  distinct  changes,  in  the  organization 
of  the  Commission  in  addition  to  the  change  in  the  presiding 
officer  caused  by  the  death  of  the  first  chairman  of  the  Commission. 
Senator  Hearn  died  on  August  28,  1914,  at  his  home  in  Quincy. 
He  had  been  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  organization  of  the 
Commission  and  had  been  active  in  all  of  its  labors.  He  was 
deeply  interested  in  its  work.  On  December  3,  1914,  the  Honor- 
able Hugh  S.-  Magill,  Jr.,  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Commis- 
sion to  succeed  him.  On  his  retirement  from  the  Senate,  the 
Chairman,  Mr.  Magill,  and  other  retiring  members  of  the  General 
Assembly  were  declared  ineligible  for  membership  in  the  Com- 
mission and  present  members  of  the  General  Assembly  were  ap- 
pointed in  their  places. 

Senator  E.  S.  Smith  of  Springfield,  was  elected  chairman  of 
the  Commission  to  succeed  Mr.  Magill.  The  Centennial  Commis- 
sion was  one  of  the  State  commissions  whose  legal  status  was  ques- 
tioned by  the  "Fergus  suits."  This  matter  caused  some  embarrass- 
ment and  delay  in  the  work  of  the  Commission.  The  right  of 
members  of  the  General  Assembly  to  serve  on  the  Commission  was 
also  questioned. 

Finally  a  bill  passed  the  General  Assembly  giving  the  Gov- 
ernor power  to  appoint  the  fifteen  members  of  the  Commission. 
This  Act  was  approved  by  Governor  Edward  F.  Dunne,  January 
21,  1916,  and  under  its  provisions  the  Commission  has  worked 
without  further  confusion  or  embarrassment. 

Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mission from  its  organization  was,  by  Governor  Dunne,  appointed 
its  chairman  and  served  until  the  labors  of  the  Commission  were 
completed.  Dr.  Schmidt  had  been  chairman  of  the  Publication 
Committee  and  was  familiar  with  all  of  the  plans  of  the  Commis- 
sion. He  gave  the  work  wise,  patriotic  and  unselfish  devotion.  .  It 
is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  success  of  the  celebration  in  all  its 
phases  was  due  largely  to  him. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  19 

As  before  stated  there  were  four  important  changes  in  the 
personnel  of  the  Commission.  The  following  named  persons  were 
members  of  it  during  the  more  than  five  years  of  its  existence. 

MEMBEES   OF   THE   COMMISSION   APPOINTED   UNDER   AUTHORITY 
OF    SENATE    JOINT    RESOLUTION,    1913: 

STATE  SENATORS 

Campbell  S.  Hearn  (deceased). 
Hugh  S.  Magffl,  Jr. 
Logan  Hay. 
Henry  W.  Johnson. 
Kent  E.  Keller. 

MEMBERS    OF   THE   HOUSE   OF    REPRESENTATIVES 

John  S.  Burns. 
John  Huston. 
C.  C.  Pervier. 
James  F.  Morris. 
George  B.  Baker. 

UNIVERSITY   OF  ILLINOIS 

Edmund  J.  James. 
Evarts  B.  Greene. 
J.  W.  Garner. 

ILLINOIS    STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Otto  L.  Schmidt. 
Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

THE  SECOND  COMMISSION  CONSISTED  OF  THE  FOLLOWING 
MEMBERS  : 

STATE   SENATORS 

E.  S.  Smith. 
John  Dailey. 
M.  W.  Bailey. 
Kent  E.  Keller. 
Edward  J.  Hughes. 


20  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

MEMBERS    OF   THE  HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES 

John  S.  Burns. 

John  Huston. 

William  J.  Butler. 

Thomas  A.  Boyer. 

Homer  J.  Tice. 

And  the  same  representatives  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society. 

After  the  passage  of  "An  Act  to  create  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission  and  to  define  its  powers  and  duties/'  which  was 
approved  by  the  Governor,  on  January  21,  1916,  Governor  Dunne 
appointed  the  following  named  persons  as  members  of  the  Com- 
mission. This  may  be  called  the  third  Commission. 

Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman. 

Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary. 

Edward  Bowe. 

M.  J.  Daugherty. 

Oscar  W.  Eckland. 

Eev.  Royal  W.  Ennis. 

Evarts  B.  Greene. 

J.  B.  McManus. 

Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr. 

Nicholas  W.  Duncan  (resigned). 

John  Schultz. 

Thomas  P.  Scully. 

Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg. 

Charles  H.  Starkel. 

John  E.  Traeger. 

Peter  A.  Waller. 

In  March,  1917,  the  Centennial  Commission  as  a  body  placed 
its  resignation  in  the  hands  of  the  newly  inaugurated  Governor, 
Frank  0.  Lowden,  and  the  Commission  was  re-organized.  The 
following  named  persons  formed  the  final  organization : 

Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman. 

Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary. 

Edward  Bowe. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  21 

John  J.  Brown. 

John  W.  Bunn. 

William  Butterworth. 

Leon  A.  Colp. 

Royal  W.  Ennis. 

Evarts  B.  Greene. 

D.  T.  Hartwell  (resigned). 

Edmund  J.  James. 

Harry  Pratt  Judson  (resigned). 

Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.  (resigned). 

George  Pasfield,  Jr. 

William  N.  Pelouze. 

A.  J.  Poorman,  Jr. 

Thomas  F.  Scully. 

Frederic  Siedenburg. 

Frederick  H.  Smith  (deceased). 

The  Commission  at  once  began  an  earnest  study  of  its  work 
and  formulated  comprehensive  plans  for  the  Centennial  observ- 
ances. The  necessary  committees  were  appointed.  It  was  voted 
that  Governor  Dunne  and  State  Superintendent  Francis  G.  Blair 
be  invited  to  serve  as  honorary  members  of  the  Commission. 
President  E.  J.  James  of  the  University  of  Illinois  was  also  in- 
vited to  become  an  honorary  member  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  upon  the  resignation  of  President  Harry  Pratt  Judson  of  the 
University  of  Chicago,  he  became  again,  by  appointment,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Commission.  Mr.  Martin  Eoche  of  the  State  Art  Com- 
mission and  Professor  J.  A.  James  of  the  Northwestern  University, 
were  later  elected  honorary  members. 

After  discussion  and  a  careful  consideration  of  the  subject, 
it  was  decided  that  the  plans  for  the  celebration  should  be  carried 
on  under  the  following  standing  committees  or  divisions: 

1.  State- wide  Celebration. 

2.  Celebration  at  the  State  Capital. 

3.  Centennial  Memorial  Building. 

4.  Centennial  Memorial  Publications. 

5.  Historical  Statues  and  Markings. 


22  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

6.  Publicity. 

7.  Pageants  and  Masques. 

Of  these  standing  committees,  several  sub-committees  were 
arranged.  These  plans  and  the  titles  of  standing  committees 
though  modified  or  enlarged  as  occasion  demanded,  were  practic- 
ally adhered  to  during  the  work  of  arranging  for  and  the  carrying 
on  of  the  celebrations. 

The  members  of  the  first  committees  were : 

1.  Committee  on  State-wide  Celebration — Kent  E.  Keller, 

Chairman;  J.  W.  Garner,  H.  W.  Johnson,  John  S. 
Burns,  John  Huston,  C.  C.  Pervier,  Jessie  Palmer 
Weber. 

2.  Committee   on   Celebration   at   State   Capital — Hugh    S. 

Magill,  Jr.,  Chairman. 

3.  Committee  on  Dedicatory  Program — Edmund  J.  James, 

Chairman. 

Committee  on  Historical  Pageant — Jessie  Palmer  Weber, 
Chairman. 

Committee  on  Centennial  Exposition,  Logan  Hay,  Chair- 
man. 

Sub-committees  for  the  Centennial  Exposition — Agricul- 
ture, C.  C.  Pervier;  Livestock,  John  Huston;  Mining, 
James  F.  Morris;  Manufactures,  George  B.  Baker; 
Transportation,  Henry  W.  Johnson;  Education,  State 
Supt.  Francis  G.  Blair;  Arts  and  Sciences,  J.  W.  Gar- 
ner; Historical  Eelics,  Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

3.  Committee    on    Centennial    Memorial    Building — Logan 

Hay,  Chairman ;  Kent  E.  Keller,  John  S.  Burns,  George 
B.  Baker,  James  F.  Morris. 

4.  Committee  on  Centennial  Memorial  Publications — 0.  L. 

Schmidt,  Chairman;  George  B.  Baker,  E.  J.  James,  E. 
B.  Greene,  J.  W.  Garner. 

5.  Committee  on  Statues  and  Historical  Markings — E.  B. 

Greene,  Chairman;  H.  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  H.  W.  Johnson, 
John  Huston,  0.  L.  Schmidt. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  23 

6.  Committee  on  Publicity — John  S.  Burns,  Chairman; 
Francis  G.  Blair,  H.  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Kent  E.  Keller, 
James  F.  Morris,  0.  L.  Schmidt. 

The  various  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  Commission  of 
course  made  necessary  changes  in  the  membership  of  committees. 
The  final  committees  were  as  follows: 

Centennial  Memorial  History — Evarts  B.  Greene,  Chairman; 
Harry  Pratt  Judson  (resigned),  Eev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  Eev. 
Royal  W.  Ennis,  Edmund  J.  James,  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt. 

Committee  on  Publicity — Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  Chair- 
man; William  N.  Pelouze,  Judge  Thomas  F.  Scully,  Dr.  Edward 
Bowe,  Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

Committee  on  State-wide  Celebration — Rev.  Royal  W.  Ennis, 
Chairman;  A.  J.  Poorman,  Jr.,  William  1ST.  Pelouze,  Leon  A.  Colp, 
Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

Committee  on  Celebration  at  State  Capital — John  W.  Bunn, 
Chairman;  George  Pasfield,  Jr.,  Vice-chairman;  William  Butter- 
worth,  John  J.  Brown,  Col.  Frederick  H.  Smith  (deceased),  Jessie 
Palmer  Weber. 

Committee  on  Pageants  and  Masques — Jessie  Palmer  Weber, 
Chairman;  George  Pasfield,  Jr.,  Dr.  Edward  Bowe,  Rev.  Frederic, 
Siedenburg. 

Committee  on  Yandalia  Celebration — John  J.  Brown,  Chair- 
man. 

On  October  29,  1917,  Governor  Lowden  issued  a  proclamation 
calling  special  attention  to  December  3d.,  following,  as  the  ninety- 
ninth  anniversary  of  the  formal  admission  of  Illinois  into  the 
Union,  and  the  beginning  of  the  Centennial  year.  In  his  pro- 
clamation the  Governor  urged  a  general  observance  of  this  day 
throughout  the  State,  and  that  organizations  be  formed  in  every 
county  to  co-operate  with  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  in 
planning  an  appropriate  observance  of  the  Illinois  Centennial 
anniversary.  In  this  proclamation  the  Governor  stated — 

On  December  3,  Illinois  will  enter  upon  the  hundredth  year  of 
her  statehood.  The  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  has  created  a  Com- 
mission, to  provide  for  the  celebration  of  our  Centennial.  It  already 
has  plans  well  under  way  to  make  this  event  worthy  of  the  greatness 


24:  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  the  history  of  Illinois.  But  its  work  will  not  be  complete  unless 
the  counties  of  the  State  shall  also  organize  for  this  purpose.  There 
is  not  a  county  in  Illinois  which  has  not  been  the  scene  of  stirring 
and  important  events,  which  should  find  a  place  in  the  permanent 
history  of  the  State. 

Now  is  the  time  to  single  out  and  record  these  events.  It  is  com- 
mon knowledge  that  a  young  and  expanding  community,  absorbed  in 
making  history,  is  only  too  careless  about  recording  the  history  it 
makes. 

Many  points  in  Illinois  scenes  of  momentous  happenings — which 
could  have  been  sought  and  marked  half  a  century  ago,  and  have 
become  fixed  landmarks,  are  now  only  vague  traditions.  And,  so  while 
it  is  yet  time,  let  our  hundredth  year  be  marked  by  fixing  permanently 
the  events  of  our  first  hundred  years,  so  far  as  they  may  be  fixed  at 
this  time. 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  the  time  is  not  fitting  for  this  celebra- 
tion, because  of  the  world-wide  war  in  which  we  find  ourselves.  I  do 
not  share  this  view.  I  realize  the  greatness  of  the  burdens  this  war 
imposes  on  us.  We,  of  Illinois,  will  bear  those  burdens  more  lightly 
if  we  shall  recall  the  first  hundred  years  of  Illinois'  achievements. 
Our  fathers  before  us,  too,  bore  heavy  burdens.  They,  too,  knew  what 
it  meant  to  offer  all  for  a  great  cause.  They  too,  faced  danger  and 
difficulty.  But  they  triumphed  over  all,  and  this  great  commonwealth 
— the  home  of  twice  the  number  of  free  men  the  United  States  con- 
tained at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War — is  the  result. 

We  have  a  hundred  years  of  noble  history  as  a  background. 
Whether  we  shall  have  another  hundred  years  equally  inspiring,  de- 
pends upon  the  issue  of  this  world-wide  war.  It  will  help  Illinois  to 
play  a  great  part  in  this  war,  if  her  people  will  refresh  their  courage 
and  strengthen  their  will  by  a  study  of  our  first  hundred  years. 

When  the  Fiftieth  General  Assembly  convened  in  January, 
1917,  America  was  fast  approaching  entrance  into  the  great  inter- 
national war.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  the  members  of  the 
Legislature  felt  that  the  centennial  celebration  should  be  held 
during  the  year  1918,  and  that  provision  should  be  made  therefor. 
The  appropriation  to  the  Centennial  Commission  was  made  after 
the  United  States  had  entered  the  war. 

The  officers  of  the  Commission  took  up  the  question  of  a 
State-wide  celebration  with  Governor  Lowden,  who  after  due  con- 
sideration expressed  the  opinion  that  there  was  even  more  reason 
for  holding  the  celebration  during  the  war  than  under  normal 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  25 

conditions.  He  gave  as  his  reason  for  this  conclusion,  that  the 
story  of  Illinois  is  so  rich  in  deeds  of  patriotism  and  heroic  en- 
deavor, that  an  appreciation  of  this  history  such  as  would  be 
brought  out  by  the  centennial  celebration,  would  tend  to  inspire 
the  people  of  Illinois  to  do  their  full  patriotic  duty,  and  bear  the 
burdens  of  the  war  more  generously  and  heroically. 

The  three  branches  of  the  State  Government,  Legislative, 
Executive  and  Judicial  took  official  part  in  the  observance  of  the 
centennial.  The  Governor,  by  the  following  special  message  to  the 
General  Assembly  called  attention  to  this  important  part  of  the 
celebration : 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS, 
EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

June  16,  191". 
Gentlemen  of  the  Fiftieth  General  Assembly: 

Next  year  Illinois  will  celebrate  the  Centennial  Anniversary  of 
its  entrance  into  the  Union.  The  hundred  years  of  our  Statehood 
history  will  be  commemorated  then.  These  hundred  years  are  big 
with  achievement.  Our  population  in  1818  was  forty  thousand  of 
scattered  pioneers.  Now  it  is  more  than  six  million.  The  fifth  largest 
city  in  the  world  lies  within  our  borders.  Our  resources  have  in- 
creased with  our  population.  Many  of  Illinois'  sons  have  written  their 
names  large  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Illinois  played  a  conspicuous, 
if  not  a  decisive  part  in  the  war  for  the  Union.  The  history  of  that 
war  could  not  be  written  with  Illinois  left  out. 

We  are  now  engaged  in  another  great  war  in  which  the  liberties 
of  all  mankind  are  challenged.  We  would  be  recreant  to  our  past  if 
we  did  not  at  this  time  recall  to  ourselves  the  achievements  of  a 
hundred  years  of  free  institutions  in  Illinois. 

Your  honorable  body  has  made  fitting  provisions  for  this  celebra- 
tion, which  should  be  marked  with  simplicity  and  solemnity  but  with 
great  patriotic  earnestness.  The  Commission  having  this  work  in 
charge  is  proceeding  ably  to  this  end.  They  desire  that  your  honorable 
body  appoint  a  committee  to  unite  with  the  Executive  and  Judicial 
Departments  of  the  State  in  extending  invitations  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  the  governors  of  the  different  states,  and  to  other 
distinguished  guests,  and  to  advise  with  the  Commission  upon  matters 
pertaining  to  the  celebration. 

I  therefore  recommend  the  appointment  of  such  a  joint  committee 
Respectfully  submitted, 

FRANK  0.  LOWDEN,  Governor. 


26  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

As  suggested  by  Governor  Lowden,  a  committee  consisting  of 
Lieutenant  Governor  John  G.  Oglesby  and  ten  members  of  the 
State  Senate  and  Speaker  David  E.  Shanahan  and  ten  members 
of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  was  appointed  as  an  advisory 
committee  to  act  with  the  other  branches  of  the  State  Government 
and  the  Centennial  Commission. 

The  members  were : 

JOHN  G.  OGLESBY, 

Lieutenant  Governor  and  President  of  the  Senate. 

EICHAED  J.  BAEK. 

ADAM  C.  CLIFFE. 

WlLLETT    H.    COBNWELL. 

EDWAED  C.  CUETIS. 
JOHN  DAILEY. 
AL.  F.  GOEMAN. 
EDWAED  J.  HUGHES. 
MOETON  D.  HULL. 
SIMON  E.  LANZ. 
FBEDEEICK  B.  Eoos. 

COMMITTEE  FEOM  THE  HOUSE  OF  EEPEESENTATIVES. 

DAVID  E.  SHANAHAN, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

EANDOLPH  BOYD. 

THOMAS  A.  BOYEE. 

FREDEEICK  A.  BEEWEE. 

JOHN  S.  BUENS. 

FEEDEEICK  E.  DEYOUNG. 

JACOB  FEISCH. 

THOMAS  N.  GOEMAN. 

JOHN  KASSEEMAN. 

GAEL  MUELLEE. 

EENEST  J.  ODUM. 

This  Legislative  Committee  with  the  Governor  and  other 
executive  officers  of  the  State,  the  Chief  Justice  and  Associate 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  Centennial  Commission 
made  up  the  general  Invitation  Committee  and  formal  invitations 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION  27 

to  the  various  centennial  observances  bore  the  names  of  the  fifty- 
one  members  of  this  committee. 

It  was  decided  as  suggested  by  Governor  Lowden  in  a  special 
message  to  the  General  Assembly,  to  invite  the  President  of  the 
United  States  to  honor  the  Illinois  Centennial  observance  by  com- 
ing to  Springfield,  Saturday,  October  5,  1918,  and  making  the 
principal  address  at  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Centennial 
Memorial  Building. 

Accordingly  an  invitation  was  handsomely  engrossed  and  illu- 
minated by  hand,  bound  in  red  morocco,  signed  by  the  aforesaid 
committee  of  fifty-one,  the  Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor, 
Secretary  of  State,  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  State  Treasurer, 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  the  Attorney  General, 
the  Chief  Justice  and  Associate  Justices  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court  and  the  members  of  the  Centennial  Commission. 

Chief  Justice  Orrin  N.  Carter,  Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt,  chairman 
of  the  Centennial  Commission,  and  the  Honorable  David  E.  Shana- 
han,  Speaker  of  the  Illinois  House  of  Eepresentatives,  went  to 
Washington  City,  and  on  March  22,  1918,  accompanied  by  United 
States  Senator  L.  Y.  Sherman  and  Congressmen  Joseph  G.  Cannon, 
Henry  T.  Rainey  and  M.  D.  Foster,  of  Illinois,  called  on  the 
President  of  the  United  States  at  the  White  House  and  presented 
the  invitation  to  him  in  person.  The  President  expressed  his 
interest  in  the  Illinois  Centennial  observance,  his  appreciation  of 
the  invitation  and  his  desire  to  accept  it,  but  could  not  at  that 
time  give  the  committee  a  definite  answer.  He  asked  that  his  at- 
tention be  called  to  the  matter  later  in  the  season. 

Late  in  August,  Dr.  Schmidt,  accompanied  by  former  Gov- 
ernor Edward  F.  Dunne,  called  on  the  President  and  again  urged 
his  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  and  he  still  had  hopes  of  being 
able  to  accept  it,  but  to  the  disappointment  and  the  regret  of  the 
Commission,  the  condition  of  public  affairs  was  such  that  he  was 
unable  to  come  to  Springfield  and  take  part  in  the  Centennial 
celebration. 

At  the  invitation  of  Governor  Lowden,  the  State  officers,  the 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Legislative  Committee  and  the 
Centennial  Commission  met  at  the  Executive  Mansion  at  11  o'clock 


28  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

A.  M.,  December  3,  1917,  to  discuss  plans  for  the  official  Centen- 
nial observances. 

Governor  Lowden  was  elected  chairman  of  this  joint  com- 
mittee and  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  secretary.  The  plans  for  the 
observance  as  formulated  by  the  Centennial  Commission  were  sub- 
mitted and  were  approved.  A  special  committee  on  invitations 
to  invite  speakers  for  the  various  observances  and  to  plan  the  form 
of  the  cards  of  invitations  and  other  like  matters  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Lowden.  This  committee  consisted  of  one  member 
from  each  division  of  the  State  represented  at  the  meeting.  These 
members  were  Chief  Justice  Orrin  1ST.  Carter  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  Francis  G. 
Blair,  State  Senator  Adam  C.  Cliff e,  Representative  John  S.  Burns, 
Mr.  George  Pasfield,  Jr.,  of  the  Centennial  Commission. 


An  historical  writer  has  said  that  individuals  have  birthdays, 
states  have  birthyears  and  this  is  particularly  true  in  the  case  of 
Illinois  for  the  successive  steps  in  the  progress  of  the  territory  of 
Illinois  in  seeking  admission  as  a  State  of  the  Union  extended 
throughout  the  year  1818,  from  the  16th  of  January,  the  date 
upon  which  the  Territorial  Delegate  in  Congress,  Nathaniel  Pope, 
introduced  the  bill  asking  admission,  until  the  3d  of  December, 
when  the  President  approved  the  Act  of  Congress  which  declared 
Illinois  a  sovereign  State.  There  were  several  necessary  and  im- 
portant official  steps  taken  between  these  two  dates.  It  was  decided 
that  the  most  significant  of  these  anniversaries  are: 

The  passage  of  the  Enabling  Act,  April  18,  1818. 

The  promulgation  of  the  Constitution,  August  26,  1818. 

The  organization  of  the  State  Government  by  the  meeting  of 
the  First  General  Assembly,  October  5,  1818,  and  the  inauguration 
of  the  First  Governor,  Shadrach  Bond,  on  October  6,  1818.  The 
formal  Admission  of  the  State,  December  3,  1818. 

Accordingly,  these  anniversaries  and  December  3,  1917,  the 
99th  anniversary  of  the  admission  of  the  State,  the  real  beginning 
of  the  centennial  year;  the  birthday  anniversary  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  February  12,  1918;  and  our  Independence  Day,  July  4, 
which  in  1918,  was  the  140th  anniversary  of  George  Eogers  Clark's 
capture  of  Kaskaskia  and  the  Illinois  country  were  observed  by 
official  celebrations  under  the  auspices  of  the  Commission. 

It  was  also  decided  that  there  should  be  official  celebrations 
held  at  the  three  towns  which  have  been  the  capital  cities  of  Illi- 
nois, Kaskaskia,  Vandalia  and  Springfield. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  appropriately  chosen  as  the  date  for 
the  Kaskaskia  observance.* 

'  *  As  historic  Kaskaskia  is  no  longer  in  existence,  the  Kaskaskia  obser- 
vance was  held  at  Chester,  the  county  seat  of  Randolph  County  and  at  the 
Pioneer  Cemetery  overlooking  the  remains  of  historic  Kaskaskia. 

29 


30  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  citizens  of  Vandalia  and  Fayette  County  selected  Septem- 
ber 26  as  the  day  for  the  Vandalia  observance,  and  the  other  official 
celebrations  were  held  in  Springfield. 

LOCAL    AND   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL    ASSOCIATIONS 

The  Commission  believed  that  the  best  way  to  reach  the  people 
of  the  State  was  through  some  form  of  county  organization  and 
accordingly  a  letter  was  sent  to  certain  officials  in  each  county 
asking  them  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  people  at  the  county  seat  for 
the  purpose  of  forming  county  centennial  associations.  These 
officials  were  the  County  Judge,  State's  Attorney,  County  Clerk, 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  or  County  Commissioners 
as  the  case  might  be,  and  the  County  Superintendent  of  Schools. 
This  was  done  not  with  the  idea  that  these  officials  would  neces- 
sarily be  the  officers  of  the  association  but  for  the  purpose  of 
beginning  the  work  through  official  channels. 

A  pamphlet  containing  suggestions  for  county  and  local  cele- 
brations was  immediately  sent  out. 

The  matter  of  local  celebrations  was  the  work  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  State-wide  Celebration,  and  after  the  appointment  of  the 
Director  in  August,  1917,  organizing  these  associations  and  assist- 
ing them  by  correspondence,  visits  and  addresses  was  largely  the 
work  of  the  Director. 

On  August  1,  1917,  Mr.  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  was  appointed 
by  the  Commission,  Director  of  the  Centennial  Celebration.  Mr. 
Magill  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  when  the  Centennial 
Commission  was  organized  in  1913,  and  was  one  of  the  members 
of  that  body  appointed  on  the  Commission.  He  was  very  active 
in  the  work  of  formulating  its  plans  and  on  the  death  of  the  Chair- 
man, Senator  Campbell  S.  Hearn,  he  was  appointed  chairman  of 
the  Commission,  which  position  he  occupied  until  his  retirement 
from  the  Senate.  In  1916,  Mr.  Magill  was  again  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Commission  and  he  gave  much  thought  to  its  pre- 
liminary work.  Mr.  Magill  resigned  from  the  Commission  to  take 
the  position  of  Director  of  the  Centennial  Celebration  and  an  office 
room  for  him  was  at  once  fitted  up  in  the  State  House,  and  the 
necessary  assistants  were  employed. 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  31 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  the  loyal  support  of  the 
Centennial  celebration  by  the  press  of  the  State.  As  no  public 
enterprise  can  be  successfully  carried  on  without  publicity  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  the  Centennial  Commission  to  have 
aroused  as  it  did  the  interest  of  the  people  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  State  without  the  generous  and  cordial  support 
of  the  Illinois  newspapers. 

Mr.  S.  Leigh  Call  was  appointed  manager  of  publicity  on  the 
organization  of  the  Commission  and  served  most  efficiently  for 
two  years. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Page  the  veteran  editor  of  Jerseyville,  Illinois, 
next  served  for  a  year  and  his  wide  acquaintance  and  enthusiasm 
did  much  to  interest  and  enlist  the  cooperation  of  the  press. 

During  the  actual  observance  of  the  Centennial,  Mr.  Halbert 
0.  Crews  was  publicity  manager  and  by  his  experience  of  news- 
paper methods  and  his  untiring  energy,  the  people  were  made 
acquainted  with  the  historical  significance  of  the  centenary  and 
the  plans  of  the  Commission. 

Mr.  Crews  was  the  editor  of  the  Centennial  Bulletins  and  he 
sent  weekly  news  letters  to  thousands  of  associations  and  citizens  of 
the  State. 

It  is  estimated  that  Illinois  newspapers  published  more  than 
fifty  thousand  items  relating  to  the  Centennial. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Bancroft  of  Jacksonville,  was  assistant  director  of 
the  Centennial  celebration  and  devoted  his  time  largely  to  assisting 
in  the  organization  of  local  Centennial  Associations.  In  his  work 
he  was  very  successful  and  through  his  efforts  Centennial  Associa- 
tions were  formed  in  more  than  half  the  counties  of  the  State. 

Throughout  the  Centennial  year  it  was  the  purpose  of  the 
Commission  to  show  the  importance  and  greatness  of  Illinois  in 
relation  to  the  nation,  and  through  the  nation  to  the  world.  No 
one  questions  the  fact  that  America  was  essential  to  the  winning  of 
the  great  war  for  human  freedom.  History  justifies  the  statement 
that  Illinois  contributed  during  the  past  century  men  whose  leader- 
ship was  essential  to  the  preservation  of  the  American  Union.  May 
we  not  then,  as  citizens  of  Illinois,  feel  a  solemn  pride  in  the 
historic  fact  that  Illinois  has  contributed,  through  the  inspiration 


32  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  leadership  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  her  other  great  souls,  to 
the  highest  welfare  of  all  mankind  ? 

Thus  Illinois  closes  the  first  century  of  her  history  as  a  State. 
Those  upon  whom  was  placed  the  responsibility  of  conducting  a 
suitable  observance  of  her  Centennial  lay  down  their  work  with  the 
hope  that  an  appreciation  of  the  past  century  may  inspire  the  people 
of  Illinois  to  enter  the  new  century  with  a  high  resolve  that  the 
future  of  our  State  shall  be  worthy  of  those  whose  noble  lives  have 
illumined  her  past. 

At  the  close  of  the  Centennial  year  as  the  Commission  looks 
back  over  the  five  years  of  its  organization,  years  that  have  been  so 
momentous  in  the  history  of  Illinois  and  of  the  world,  so  filled  with 
great  events  that  were  unforeseen  by  any  one,  its  members  feel 
some  satisfaction  that  in  spite  of  very  great  obstacles  it  has  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  the  greater  part  of  what  it  had  planned 
in  the  beginning. 

In  the  various  official  observances  of  its  centenary,  Illinois 
has  been  honored  by  the  presence  of  her  United  States  Senators, 
L.  y.  Sherman  and  J.  Hamilton  Lewis  and  of  several  of  her  mem- 
bers of  Congress.  A  member  of  the  Cabinet  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States  has  been  her  guest.  Orators  have  come  to  take 
part  in  paying  tribute  to  Illinois  and  her  contributions  to  the  world, 
fom  England,  from  France,  from  Ireland  and  from  Canada,  Vir- 
ginia, New  York,  Connecticut,  Ohio  and  Indiana  have  sent  repre- 
sentatives and  all  of  these  statesmen,  orators  and  historians  have 
told  in  glowing  terms  of  what  Illinois  has  achieved,  what  her  ma- 
terial contributions  have  been  in  coal  and  wheat  and  corn,  in  beef 
and  pork  and  in  manufactured  products,  and  above  all  her  gifts  of 
men  and  women,  men  and  women  who  toiled,  sacrificed  and 
achieved  for  humanity,  from  pioneers  who  laid  broad  and  deep 
the  foundations  of  our  commonwealth,  and  perhaps  builded  better 
than  they  knew. 

The  annals  of  Illinois  are  resplendent  with  the  names  of  men 
who  toiled  and  sacrificed  to  establish  human  liberty. 

Coles  and  Birkbeck,  and  the  others  who  drove  out  the  dark 
specter  of  slave  holding  from  the  Prairie  State,  the  founders  of  the 
schools,  the  priests,  the  pioneer  preachers,  the  circuit  riders  and 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  33 

the  exhorters,  the  Indian  fighters  and  the  builders  of  roads  and  the 
diggers  of  canals,  the  soldiers  of  our  wars,  from  the  humblest 
drummer  boy  to  the  great  generals  and  to  the  chief  magistrate, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  the  greatest  and  noblest  of  them  all  who  sacri- 
ficed even  life  itself,  that  "government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
for  the  people  should  not  perish  from  the  earth,"  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, the  greatest  exponent  of  world  democracy  that  the  world  has 
ever  known,  all  of  these  has  our  State  contributed,  and  so  Illinois 
of  to-day  is  offering  men. 

Every  gallant  young  man  of  Illinois  who  in  the  present 
crisis  went  out  and  offered  his  life  for  democracy  as  did  the 
heroes  of  the  Eevolutionary  War,  and  our  fathers  of  the  war 
for  the  Union,  each  one  of  these  is  an  immortal,  and  an  un- 
dying gift,  and  breathes  the  spirit  of  Illinois,  the  spirit  of  the 
260,000  men  that  Illinois  gave  to  preserve  the  Union  and  is  piled 
up  in  the  imperishable  multitude  of  nearly  300,000  sons  of  Illi- 
nois who  fought  for  a  world  wide  democracy  as  our  second  century 
begins. 

THE  CENTENNIAL  MEMOEIAL  HISTORY 

An  important  work  of  the  Centennial  Commission  was  the  pre- 
paration and  publication  of  a  Centennial  Memorial  History  of  the 
State  under  the  supervision  of  the  Committee  on  Publications  of 
the  Commission  of  which  Prof.  E.  B.  Greene  is  chairman.  The 
work  of  compiling  and  writing  this  history  was  done  by  a  corps 
of  trained,  scientific  historians  under  the  general  editorial  super- 
vision of  Prof.  C.  W.  Alvord.  The  history  is  on  a  scale  never 
before  attempted  by  a  state  of  the  Union.  It  has  taken  six  years  of 
labor  and  research.  It  is  published  in  six  volumes  and  will  be 
placed  free  of  charge  in  the  public  libraries  of  the  State  and  sold 
to  individuals  at  a  low  cost.  The  first  or  preliminary  volume  en- 
titled, "Illinois  in  1818,"  is  by  Prof.  Solon  J.  Buck.  The  series  is 
called  "The  Centennial  Memorial  History  of  Illinois,"  and  it  is 
a  valuable  and  enduring  feature  of  the  Centennial  observance. 

— 3  C  C 


34  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  titles  of  the  volumes  of  the  series  are: 

I.     Province  and  Territory,  1673-1818,  edited  by  C.  W.  Alvord. 

II.     The  Frontier  State,  1818-1848,  edited  by  Theodore  C.  Pease. 

III.     The  Era  of  the  Civil  War,  1848-1870,  edited  by  Arthur  C.Cole. 

IV.     The  Industrial  State,  1870-1893,  edited  by  Ernest  L.  Bogart 

and  Charles  M.  Thompson. 

V.     The  Modern  Commonwealth,  1893-1918,  edited  by  Ernest  L. 
Bogart,  and  John  M.  Mathews. 

THE  CENTENNIAL  HALF  DOLLAE 

At  the  request  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  Con- 
gressman Loren  E.  Wheeler  of  the  Twenty-first  Illinois  Congres- 
sional District  introduced  a  bill  in  Congress  providing  for  the 
coinage  of  a  special  coin  in  commemoration  of  the  Centennial  of 
the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the  Union.  After  the  passage  of  the 
bill  by  Congress  authorizing  the  coinage  of  one  hundred  thousand 
half  dollars,  every  effort  was  made  to  expedite  the  distribution  of 
the  coins  among  the  people  of  the  State  as  souvenirs  of  the  Cen- 
tennial year. 

One  hundred  thousand  fifty  cents  pieces  with  a  special  design 
commemorative  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  were  issued.  The  design 
was  determined  upon  by  the  Director  of  the  Mint  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  but  was  suggested  by  the  Centennial  Commission. 
As  a  result  of  a  conference  with  the  Superintendent  and  Chief  En- 
graver of  the  United  States  Mint,  it  was  agreed  that  the  coin  should 
have  the  head  of  Lincoln  on  the  obverse  side  and  the  seal  of  Illinois 
on  the  reverse  side,  with  the  inscription  "Centennial  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  1818-1918."  The  Chief  Engraver  of  the  Mint  prepared 
the  models  from  which  the  dies  were  made. 

The  coins  were  distributed  during  the  Centennial  year  to 
county  or  centennial  associations  at  par  value.  These  associations 
disposed  of  the  fifty  cent  pieces  for  one  dollar  each,  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  being  used  for  local  Centennial  celebrations  or  some 
phase  of  war  relief  work. 

The  coin  has  been  much  admired  by  numismatists  and  it  has 
been  purchased  by  them  and  distributed  throughout  the  entire 
United  States. 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  35 

THE  CENTENNIAL  MEMOEIAL  BUILDING 

The  Centennial  Commission  was  organized  in  1913,  before  the 
organization  of  the  State  Departments  of  the  Administrative  Code, 
but  before  this  time  efforts  were  being  made  to  secure  a  new  His- 
torical or  Educational  Building  in  order  to  relieve  the  crowded 
condition  of  the  State  House. 

It  was  hoped  that  such  a  building  might  be  erected  as  a 
memorial  of  the  centenary  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  1909. 

Celebrations  and  demonstrations  are  an  important  and  essen- 
tial part  of  the  Centennial  observance,  but  the  Commission  felt 
that  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  would  be  after  all  the  per- 
manent, the  enduring  evidence  that  the  people  of  Illinois  had 
observed  the  rounding  out  of  their  first  century  of  Statehood,  if 
they  erect  a  stately  and  beautiful  temple  in  which  to  preserve  the 
history  and  memorials  of  those  who  have  built  the  fabric  of  the 
State. 

The  Centennial  Commission  was  very  glad  to  use  such  in- 
fluence as  it  might  have  in  advancing  the  plans  for  this  inspiring 
and  permanent  memorial.  A  brief  account  of  the  successive  steps 
in  the  progress  towards  the  building  of  the  Centennial  Memorial 
Building  may  be  of  interest. 

An  Educational  Building  Commission  was  created  by  the 
Forty-seventh  General  Assembly,  1911.  Members  of  this  Commis- 
sion were  named  in  the  act,  to  be  the  Governor,  Secretary  of  State, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  State  Historical  Library,  President  of  the  State 
Historical  Society,  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts,  and  Department 
Commander  of  the  State  G.  A.  E. 

The  duty  of  this  Commission  was  to  consider  plans  for  an 
Educational  Building  and  to  recommend  a  proper  site  for  it.  The 
act  carried  an  appropriation  of  $5,000,  for  the  purposes  mentioned. 

This  Commission  secured  the  service  of  Mr.  W.  S.  Leland  a 
noted  archivist.  Mr.  Leland  visited  Springfield  and  studied  the 
needs  of  the  various  departments  and  made  a  report  to  the  Com- 
mission which  it  submitted  to  the  Forty-eighth  General  Assembly, 
with  some  recommendations  and  tentative  plans  by  Mr.  W.  Corbyg 
Zimmerman,  then  State  Architect. 


36  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  next  General  Assembly  (the  Forty-eighth)  continued  this 
Commission  and  appropriated  $10,000,  for  its  use. 

The  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  this  Commission  was  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Centennial  Building  Commission  by  the  Forty-ninth 
General  Assembly.  The  Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  Chairman  of  the  State  Art  Commis- 
sion, President  of  the  State  Historical  Society  and  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  State  Historical  Library  and  two 
persons  appointed  by  the  Governor  constituted  the  Commission. 

The  act  creating  this  Commission  designated  the  ground  to 
be  used  for  the  site,  and  stipulated  that  the  citizens  of  Springfield 
or  someone  in  their  behalf  contribute  $100,000  toward  the  pur- 
chase of  the  designated  tract  of  ground.  This  the  citizens  of 
Springfield  did.  The  act  carried  an  appropriation  of  $125,000. 

The  fiftieth  General  Assembly  appropriated  to  the  Department 
of  Public  Works  and  Buildings,  $100,000,  to  prepare  plans  and 
specifications  for  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  and  created 
an  advisory  Centennial  Building  Commission  consisting  of  the 
Director  of  Public  Works  and  Buildings  and  the  Governor, 
President  of  the  State  Senate,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, Secretary  of  State  and  three  members  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  determine  the  exact 
location  of  the  building  on  the  grounds,  select  and  approve  the 
plans  and  specifications  for  the  building  and  have  supervision 
over  its  construction.  The  act  stated  that  the  building  will  cost 
$800,000,  and  appropriated  $125,000,  for  expenses  of  plans  and 
specifications. 

The  Fiftieth  General  Assembly  made  an  appropriation  to  be- 
gin the  erection  of  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  on  the 
beautiful  plot  of  ground  south  of  the  State  Capitol  Building  and 
the  law  making  the  appropriation  stipulated  that  the  laying  of 
the  cornerstone  of  the  building  be  a  part  of  the  exercises  of  the 
Centennial  celebration.  The  building  will  cost  when  completed 
about  a  million  dollars  and  will  be  erected  by  the  Department  of 
Public  Works  and  Buildings.  The  plans  have  been  drawn  by  Mr. 
Edgar  Martin,  State  Architect.  The  growth  of  the  State's  business 
has  been  so  great  that  the  Capitol  Building  is  badly  crowded  and 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  37 

room  is  needed  for  the  proper  housing  and  care  of  many  depart- 
ments. It  is  expected  that  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  will 
be  beautiful  and  satisfying  architecturally  and  artistically  and  will 
provide  ample  quarters  for  the  State  Department  of  Education, 
State  Library,  State  Historical  Library  and  Society,  a  worthy 
Lincoln  Memorial  Hall,  the  Natural  History  Museum,  a  safe  de- 
pository for  valuable  records  and  house  many  other  departments 
and  boards.  It  will  be  an  enduring  monument  of  the  completion 
of  our  first  century  of  Statehood,  one  upon  which  the  people  of  the 
State  can  look  with  pride  for  generations  to  come.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  present  State  Capitol  was  laid  October  5,  1868,  and 
thus  when  on  October  5,  1918,  we  laid  the  cornerstone  of  our  Cen- 
tennial Memorial  Building,  we  celebrated  the  semi-centennial  anni- 
versary of  the  present  Capitol  Building. 

PAGEANT  AND  MASQUES 

Mr.  Wallace  Eice,  who  was  selected  by  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission  as  official  pageant  writer  for  the  centenary  has  said, 
"Whatever  the  forms  assumed  in  modern  times  by  pageants,  such 
forms,  in  response  to  the  inate  desire  in  human  nature  for  the  dis- 
play of  all  the  splendors  humanity  can  command,  are  of  the  re- 
motest antiquity.  Memorials  of  them  are  carved  upon  ancient 
Egyptian  bassi  rilievi,  are  shown  in  Grecian  sculpture  and  persist 
in  the  triumphal  arches  of  the  Romans.  Indeed  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  no  tribe  of  men  has  ever  been  found,  however  savage 
its  state,  which  did  not  combine  processions,  dancing,  songs  and 
some  form  of  histrionism  for  the  better  celebration  of  high  events 
in  its  annals,  whether,  religious  or  secular." 

Another  writer  has  said  in  substance:  "Wherever  men  have 
been  pioneers,  blazed  the  way  and  struggled  to  carry  forward  civil- 
ization. Wherever  victories  for  right  have  been  achieved;  where- 
ever  by  heroic  action  or  by  patient  enduring  the  great  cause  of 
human  progress  and  human  liberty  has  been  nurtured,  that  ground 
is  holy  ground  and  the  incidents  there  enacted  are  sacred,  worthy 
of  commemoration  in  pageantry." 

And  with  this  conception  of  the  history  and  mission  of  page- 
antry the  Centennial  Commission  from  its  organization  began  to 


38  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

make  plans  to  reproduce  for  the  people  of  Illinois  the  wonderful 
story  of  the  Prairie  State  by  means  of  a  pageant  of  historic  truth 
and  of  poetic  imagery  and  beauty,  so  presented  as  to  visualize  the 
stirring  and  momentous  events  in  the  life  of  our  great  common- 
wealth in  such  a  way  as  to  be  unf  orgetable  in  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  those  who  behold  it. 

The  Commission's  choice  of  Mr.  Eice  as  pageant  writer  was  a 
happy  one,  the  masques,  pageants  and  poems  which  he  wrote  being 
worthy  of  their  great  theme  and  of  the  occasion.  Mr.  Frederick 
Bruegger  was  selected  as  pageant  master  to  produce  the  official 
masques.  He  was  assisted  by  Mrs.  Bruegger  in  this  work  and 
through  their  conception  of  their  work  and  their  training  of  the 
actors  in  the  masque,  the  Commission  was  able  to  realize  in  a  large 
measure  its  hopes.  The  presentation  of  the  Centennial  Masque 
will  mark  an  era  in  community  effort  in  Illinois. 

The  masques,  pageants  and  plays  published  by  the  Commis- 
sion include  the  following: 

"The  Pageant  of  the  Illinois  Country,"  by  Wallace  Rice. 

"The  Masque  of  Illinois,"  by  Mr.  Rice. 

"Six  Little  Plays  for  Children,"  by  Mr.  Rice. 

"The  Wonderful  story  of  Illinois,"  by  Grace  Arlington  Owen. 

The  Masque  written  by  Mr.  Rice  was  used  by  the  Centennial 
Commission  as  the  official  Masque.  And  this  was  produced  under 
the  direction  of  the  Committee  on  Pageants  and  Masques  of  which 
Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber  was  chairman  and  Mr.  George  Pasfield. 
Dr.  Edward  Bowe  and  Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg  were  members. 

The  Masque  portrayed  in  a  series  of  beautiful  scenes  the 
thrilling  history  of  the  State.  The  music  written  especially  for  it 
by  Mr.  Edward  C.  Moore,  was  of  special  beauty  and  added  greatly 
to  the  charm  of  the  production.  Some  of  the  airs  will  live  as  long 
as  the  memory  of  the  Masque  endures. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruegger,  pageant  masters,  great  credit  is 
due  for  the  complete  success  of  the  production.  The  Sangamon 
County  Centennial  Association  rendered  valuable  aid  in  selecting 
the  cast  and  making  many  of  the  costumes  and  other  arrangements 
which  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  Masque. 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  39 

It  is  not  possible  to  mention  all  who  deserve  credit.  Mrs. 
Eobert  C.  Lanphier  and  Mrs.  Logan  Hay  were  the  Committee  on 
Costumes  and  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  their  untiring 
efforts  through  which  the  charming  choruses  of  young  girls  were 
gowned  to  be  the  Illinois  company,  the  Trees,  the  Flowers,  the 
Rivers  and  the  Prairies  who  always  attended  Illinois. 

Mr.  Clinton  L.  Conkling,  Mr.  Eobert  C.  Lanphier,  Mr.  Eobert 
W.  Troxell,  Mr.  Ira  M.  Allen,  Mr.'E.  A.  Guest,  Mr.  Henry  Helmle, 
Mrs.  Philip  Barton  Warren,  Mrs.  V.  Y.  Dallman,  Mrs.  George 
Thomas  Palmer  and  Miss  Theresa  Gorman  of  the  Sangamon 
County  Committees  also  greatly  aided  in  the  arrangements  for  the 
production. 

It  is,  of  course,  needless  to  say  that  the  Masque  could  not 
have  been  presented  without  hearty  cooperation  and  great  and 
earnest  effort  upon  the  part  of  the  cast.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  mention  any  considerable  number  of  the  more  than  a  thousand 
persons  of  Springfield  and  central  Illinois  who  took  part  in  the 
Masque.  All  deserve  commendation.  It  would,  however,  be  unfair 
not  to  mention  the  work  of  Miss  Florence  Lowden  who  took  the 
leading  part,  that  of  "Illinois,"  as  this  character  was  on  the  stage 
during  the  entire  performance. 

Miss  Lowden  committed  to  memory  the  words  of  the  entire 
Masque.  Not  only  was  she  letter  perfect  in  her  own  part  but  she 
was  able  to  assist  other  actors  by  prompting  them  in  their  lines  if 
they  showed  evidence  of  confusion  or  forgetfulness. 

Miss  Lowden  acted  the  part  of  "Illinois"  with  high  apprecia- 
tion and  dignity  and  her  enunciation  of  the  words  was  excellent. 

The  first  performance  of  the  Masque  was  on  the  evening  of 
August  26,  1918,  the  centenary  of  the  promulgation  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  1818.  It  was  given  in  the  Coliseum  at  the  State  Fair 
grounds.  A  very  large  stage  was  erected  at  the  west  end  of  the 
building  and  carpeted  with  green.  Large  trees  and  bushes  were 
brought  from  the  woods  and  the  stage  was  made  to  represent  an 
open  space  or  prairie  in  a  woodland  glade.  The  effect  was  beauti- 
ful. In  the  second  presentation  of  the  Masque  which  occurred  on 
October  4-5,  the  foliage  of  the  trees  and  bushes  was  in  the  autumn 
colors. 


40  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  cast  of  more  than  one  thousand  persons  was  made  up  of 
all  ages  and  classes  of  the  people  of  Springheld  and  central  Illinois. 

The  various  fraternal  orders  took  part,  churches  and  musical 
societies  furnished  choruses. 

There  were  old,  young  and  middle  aged  men  and  women. 
The  chorus,  "the  children  of  Illinois"  was  given  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  little  folks  from  three  to  twelve  years  of  age.  All  deserve 
praise  from  the  National  Commander  of  the  G.  A.  E.  who  took  a 
part  in  the  Civil  War  episode  to  the  tiny  drummer  boy  of  five 
years  who  marched  proudly  at  his  side. 

The  Masque  was  presented  at  Vandalia  on  September  26,  by 
a  cast  made  up  of  citizens  of  Vandalia  and  Fayette  County.  It 
was  presented  on  an  out-of-door  stage  and  the  effect  was  of  great 
beauty. 

The  Centennial  Masque  will  linger  in  the  memory  of  those 
who  witnessed  it.  It  presented  a  moving  picture  of  Illinois,  from 
the  days  of  the  French  Missionary  priest  and  voyageur,  through 
all  the  changing  years  of  toil  and  sacrifice,  of  progress  and  triumph. 
It  closes  with  the  entrance  of  America  and  Illinois  into  the  world 
war,  joining  with  the  allied  nations  of  the  world  in  the  great 
struggle  to  make  the  world  and  our  Illinois  a  safer  and  a  happier 
place  in  which  to  live  and  labor. 

"Ye  who  would  learn  the  glory  of  your  past  and  form  a 

forecast  of  the  things  to  be, 

"Give  heed  to  this  a  mighty  trumpet  blast  and  see 
"Her  pictured  life  in  pageantry/' 

PLANTING  A  CENTENNIAL  TEEE 

An  interesting  little  pageant  was  used  in  connection  with  the 
plan  for  the  planting  of  a  Centennial  tree  on  Arbor  Day,  April  19. 
This  was  prepared  by  Hon.  Francis  G.  Blair,  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  and  was  sent  to  all  of  the  schools  in  the  State. 
As  Arbor  Day  came  on  the  day  following  the  Centennial  of  the 
adoption  of  the  Enabling  Act,  permitting  Illinois  to  form  a  Con- 
stitution and  organize  a  State  government,  the  planting  of  this 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  41 

tree  had  special  Centennial  significance.  It  will  stand  as  a 
memorial  to  the  State's  hundred  years. 

In  his  appeal  for  the  planting  of  Centennial  trees,  Mr.  Blair 
said: 

"While  at  work  with  spade  and  ax  cutting  out  undergrowth 
and  transplanting  some  of  it,  a  messenger  arrived  bringing  the 
news  of  the  birth  of  a  nephew.  A  young,  sturdy  elm  that  had 
begun  life  on  its  own  hook  in  an  impossible  sort  of  a  place  had 
just  been  taken  up.  Why  not  replant  this  elm  in  honor  of  the 
new-born  boy  ?  A  place  was  chosen  and  the  tree  was  planted.  As 
soon  as  the  lad  was  old  enough  to  understand  he  was  introduced 
to  his  twin,  the  elm.  Now,  as  in  the  strength  of  his  young  man- 
hood he  goes  forth  under  the  colors  to  fight  in  the  world's  greatest 
war  for  the  world's  greatest  cause,  that  towering  young  elm  takes 
on  a  new  meaning. 

"It  may  have  been  that  incident  which  brought  the  suggestion 
of  planting  the  Centennial  tree.  Be  that  as  it  may,  believing  that 
this  year  presents  a  rare  occasion,  I  am  recommending  that  every 
school  in  Illinois  shall  plant  a  Centennial  tree.  To  make  this 
ceremony  more  impressive,  I  have  written  and  arranged  the  pro- 
gram of  exercises  as  herein  presented." 


THE  LINCOLN-NEW  SALEM  PAGEANT 

It  is  impossible  to  give  more  than  passing  notice  to  the  many 
interesting  presentations  of  Masques  and  Pageants  in  the  various 
counties  of  the  State. 

The  Director  of  the  Centennial  celebration  in  his  report  has 
mentioned  many  of  them.  It  seems  however,  proper  to  mention 
the  "Lincoln-New  Salem  Pageant"  on  account  of  the  interest  and 
pride  felt  by  every  one  in  all  that  concerns  Illinois'  foremost 
citizen. 

The  Pageant  was  presented  at  the  site  of  the  home  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  young  manhood  at  New  Salem,  by  the  Old  Salem-Lincoln 
League  on  September  2-3,  1918.  A  brief  account  of  this  celebra- 
tion seems  appropriate. 


42  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  at  New  Salem,  where  he  resided 
from  1831-1837,  was  pictured  in  a  pageant  given  there  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Old  Salem-Lincoln  League  on  Monday  and  Tues- 
day, September  2-3.  Replicas  of  the  Lincoln  and  Berry  store; 
the  Eutledge  Inn;  some  of  the  old  log  cabins  and  the  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  road  through  the  village,  gave  a  touch  of  realism  to 
the  pageant  which  was  enacted  on  New  Salem  Hill.  People  from 
all  over  Central  Illinois  and  some  visitors  from  a  greater  distance 
attended  the  pageant. 

The  League  proposes  to  continue  with  the  work  of  reconstruc- 
tion and  intends  eventually  to  have  the  entire  village  rebuilt  as 
nearly  as  possible  as  it  was  when  Lincoln  lived  there. 

Many  of  the  actors  in  the  pageant  were  descendants  of  the 
Clarys,  the  Armstrongs,  the  Greenes,  the  Watkins.  the  Spears,  and 
the  Pratts,  and  other  families  who  made  up  the  citizenship  of  the 
village  of  New  Salem  when  Lincoln  kept  store  there.  The  pageant 
was  given  from  four-thirty  to  six-thirty  in  'the  afternoons  of 
Monday  and  Tuesday,  and  a  barbecue,  such  as  they  had  in  Lincoln's 
day,  was  one  of  the  features  on  Monday.  Eefreshments  were 
served  at  the  Rutledge  Inn  on  both  days. 

The  pageant  was  beautiful  as  well  as  instructive.  It 
opened  with  a  scene  showing  Mother  Nature  preparing  for  the 
events  that  were  to  take  place.  The  first  episode  represents  the 
arrival  of  Lincoln  at  New  Salem  in  1831.  The  flat-boat  lodges  at 
the  dam  and  Denton  Offut  announces  that  he  has  decided  to  open 
a  store  with  the  cargo  in  the  flat-boat,  and  engages  Lincoln  to  work 
as  clerk  in  the  new  store. 

In  the  second  episode,  the  scene  is  in  September  of  the  same 
year.  The  Clary's  Grove  boys  arrive  in  the  village  to  attend  the 
autumn  festivities  and  the  famous  wrestling  match  between  Lin- 
coln and  the  champion  of  Clary's  Grove  occurs. 

The  third  episode  shows  Lincoln  leaving  for  the  Black  Hawk 
War  in  April,  1832.  The  Clary's  Grove  boys  elect  Lincoln  as  their 
captain  and  march  away. 

The  scene  of  the  fourth  episode  is  on  a  Sunday  morning  in 
New  Salem.  Lincoln  pleads  his  cause  with  Ann  Rutledge.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  touching  scenes.  Ann  Rutledge  departs  for  college 


IMPORTANT  ANNIVERSARIES  43 

in  Jacksonville  and  the  scene  ends  with  her  death  and  the  depar- 
ture of  Lincoln  for  Springfield.  There  is  an  interlude  in  which  the 
progress  and  prosperity  of  the  State  is  shown  by  interpretative 
dances  of  peace  and  plenty.  Then  comes  the  fifth  episode.  It 
shows  Lincoln's  farewell  to  Illinois. 

Another  interlude  follows  and  the  pageant  ends  with  the  grief 
of  New  Salem  over  the  death  of  Lincoln. 

The  pageant  is  followed  by  a  masque  in  celebration  of  the 
Centennial  of  the  State. 

The  pageant  and  masque  were  presented  under  the  direction 
of  Mrs.  Florence  Magill  Wallace. 


FINANCIAL  REPORT 


The  financial  report  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission, 
an  account  of  the  disbursements  of  the  fund  appropriated  for  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Celebration  by  the  Fiftieth  General  Assembly: 

Total  appropriation  by  the  Fiftieth  General  Assembly, 
$160,000. 

This  appropriation  was  made  in  a  lump  sum  and  this  budget 
was  arranged  by  the  Centennial  Commission  for  convenience  and 
for  an  equitable  division  of  the  fund. 


Budget. 
I.     Publications     $30,000.00 

II.     Salaries. 

Director's    office 25,332.44 

Office   commission    .  . .        8,390.00 


III. 


IV. 


V. 


Expense  Directors. 

Office- 
Stationery  and  supplies 

Equipment    

Telephone      and      tele- 
graph      

Postage    and    express . 

Printing    

Traveling  expense    .  .  . 
Contingent     


Miscellaneous. 

Expense    Commission.  10,000.00 

Poster 5,000.00 

Writing  and  publishing 

music     3,000.00 

Centennial  banner    .  .  .  1,500.00 
Expense  official  guests, 

etc 10,000.00 

Special    publicity    3,000.00 


Official  Celebrations. 

Dec.    3,    1917 1,276.86 

Feb.    12,    1918 128.45 

Apr.    18,    1918 1,000.00 

Kaskaskia,  July  4,  1918  1,000.00 

Centennial   Pair    5,000.00 

Aug.    26,    1918 4,500.00 

Vandalia,    Sept.    24-26, 

1918   2,000.00 

Oct.   5-6,   1918 14,500.00 

Dec.    3,    1918 2,000.00 

Prizes       and       medals 

International    Live 

Stock  Show    500.00 

Contingent     11,872.25 

$43,777.56 
44 


Disburse- 
ments. 
$16,089.50 


23,758.69 
7,477.24 


3,482.71 
3,767.74 

2,127.09 
941.05 

1,634.89 
2,298.88 


1,276.86 

128.45 

789.97 

425.14 

5,000.00 

4,427.61 

1,714.60 

9,841.82 

578.05 


1,719.36 


Balance. 
$13,910.50 


1,573.75 
912.76 


$33,722.44        $31,235.93        $  2,486.51 


3,000.00  2,213.56  786.44 

1,000.00  788.28  211.72 

500.00  203.48  296.52 

5,000.00  3,425.55  1,574.45 

5,500.00  5,444.30  55.70 

4,000.00  2,910.61  1,089.39 

1,000.00  163.16  836.84 

$20,000.00  $15,148.94        $   4,851.06 


6,517.29 
1,232.26 


872.91 
558.95 


8,365.11 
701.12 


$32,500.00       $14,252.36        $18,247.64 


210.03 
574.86 


72.39 

285.40 
4,658.18 
1,421.95 


500.00 
10,152.89 


$25,901.86        $17,875.70 


FINANCIAL  REPORT  45 

Total    appropriation    $160,000.00 

Total  disbursements    , 102,628.59 


Balance  on  hand  June  17,   1919 $57,371.41 

CONTRACTS    AND    ORDERS    OUTSTANDING    AGAINST    THE    BALANCE    OF    AP- 
PROPRIATION     OF      THE      ILLINOIS      CENTENNIAL      COMMISSION      ON 

June  17,  1919. 

Publication  Fund. 

Original  item  in  budget  for  publication  fund $30,000.00 

Disbursements     16,089.50 


Balance  in  fund $13,910.50 

There  must  be  paid  from  this  fund  the  contract  with 
McClurg  &  Co.,  for  the  publication  of  the  Centennial 
history,  $11,500.00  ;  the  remainder  of  the  fund  will 
be  entirely  used  by  the  expenses  of  the  work  neces- 
sary to  the  completion  of  the  volumes — editorial 
work,  proof  reading,  final  payment  of  authors  and 
assistants,  etc. 

A  contingent  fund  of  $1,000.00  must  also  be  allowed 
for  the  distribution  of  the  Centennial  history  as  the 
publication  fund  is  not  sufficient  for  this  purpose. .  1,000.00 


Total  for  the  publication  fund $14,910.50 

Expenses  of  Commission. 

The  Centennial  Commission  appropriated  for  the  pre- 
paration, publication,  distribution,  etc.,  of  the  re- 
port of  the  Commission  the  sum  of 5,000.00 

A  contingent  fund  for  the  expenses  of  the  Commission 

of  $2,000.00  must  be  retained 2,000.00 


Total  for  expenses  of  Commission $7,000.00 

21,910.50 


*  There  are  therefore,  contracts  and  pledges  against  the  Commis- 
sion, leaving  a  free  cash  balance  on  June  17,  1919,  of $35,460.91 

*  When  the  final  payment  for  the  Centennial  History  was  made  it  was 
found  that  on  account  of  the  changes  in  the  price  of  labor,  paper,  etc.,  the 
estimates  had  been  insufficient  and  the  final  balance  paid  into  the  State 
Treasury  from  the  $160,000  appropriated  to  the  Centennial  Commission  was 

$32,274.28. 


Official  Celebrations 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS 

By  the  term  official  celebrations  is  meant  those  which  were 
held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Centennial  Commission.  The  im- 
portant anniversaries  of  the  centenary  of  the  State  were : 

I.  The  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  passage  of  the  Act 
of  Congress,  April  18,  1818,  authorizing  the  Territory 
of  Illinois  to  form  a  State  Constitution  and  Government, 
called  the  Enabling  Act. 

II.     The  promulgation  of  the  first  State  Constitution,  August 
26,  1818. 

III.  The  organization  of  the  State  Government  by  the  meeting 

of  the  First  General  Assembly,  October  5,  1818,  and  the 
inauguration  of  the  first  Governor  of  the  State,  October 
6,  1818. 

IV.  The  formal  admission  of  Illinois  as  a  State  of  the  Federal 

Union  by  Act  of  Congress  approved,  December  3,  1818. 
V.  The  Commission  also  observed  December  3,  1917,  the 
ninety-ninth  anniversary  of  the  admission  of  the  State, 
the  real  beginning  of  the  State  Centennial. 
The  Commission  decided  that  some  official  observance  of 
the  Centennial  should  be  held  in  the  towns  which  had 
been  the  capital  cities  of  Illinois  during  her  first  century. 
Accordingly  a  celebration  was  held  at  Kaskaskia,  or  in 
the  neighborhood  of  what  remains  of  the  historic  little 
city  which  was  once  the  metropolis  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley. 

VI.  The  citizens  of  Randolph  County  arranged  for  a  celebra- 
tion on  July  4  at  Chester,  and  united  with  the  Com- 
mission in  an  observance  at  the  Pioneer  Cemetery  over- 
looking all  that  is  left  of  historic  Kaskaskia, 

49 
— 4  C  C 


50 

VII.  An  appropriate  observance  of  the  Centennial  was  held  at 
Vandalia,  September  2-4,  25,  26,  by  the  citizens  of 
Fayette  County  and  Vandalia  and  the  Centennial  Com- 
mission. 

VIII.     The  Birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  of  course  observed 

each  year  by  the  Lincoln  Centennial  Association.     In 

the  Centennial  year  the  Lincoln  Association  invited  the 

Centennial  Commission  to  cooperate  with  it,  and  the 

Commission  gladly  accepted  the  invitation  and  a  most 

impressive    observance    was    held    under    their    joint 

auspices  on  Lincoln's  Birthday,  February  12,  1918. 

These  important  historical  anniversaries  and  historic  towns 

were  each  fittingly  commemorated.     Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden 

gave  to  the  Centennial  observance  earnest  and  unfailing  support 

and  encouragement.    By  timely  official  proclamations  and  eloquent 

orations  he  not  only  gave  the  stamp  of  his  official  approval  to  the 

Centennial  observance,  but  through  his  papers  and  addresses  he 

contributed  largely  to  the  history  and  literature  of  the  Centenary 

of  the  State. 

I.     December  3,    1917,  the  ninety-ninth   anniversary  of   the 
admission  of  the  State  Illinois  into  the  Federal  Union. 
II.     February    12,    1918,   the    one   hundred   and   ninth    anni- 
versary of  the  birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

III.  April  18,  1918,  the  Centenary  of  the  approval  of  the  Act 

of  Congress  authorizing  the  Territory  of  Illinois  to  form 
a  State  Constitution  and  Government. 

IV.  July  4,  1918.     Independence  Day. 

The  one  hundred  and  fortieth  anniversary  of  the  capture 
of  Kaskaskia  and  the  Illinois  Country  by  Colonel  George 
Eogers  Clark.  Celebration  at  Chester  and  at  the 
Pioneer  Cemetery  overlooking,  from  the  hill,  Kaskaskia 
Island,  the  remnant  of  Did  Kaskaskia. 

V.  August  26,  1918,  the  Centenary  of  the  promulgation  of 
the  Constitution  of  1818,  the  first  Constitution  of  the 
State  of  Illinois. 

VI.     September  25,  1918,  official  celebration  at  Vandalia,  the 
second  Capital  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  51 

VII.     October  5-6,  1918.    The  Centenary  of  the  inauguration  of 

the  Government  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 
Laying    the    corner-stone    of    the    Centennial    Memorial 

Building. 

Dedication  of  the  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Dedication  of  the  statue  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 
VIII.     December  3,  1918.     The  Centenary  of  the  approval  by  the 
President  of  the  Act  of  Congress  declaring  Illinois  a 
sovereign  State  of  the  American  Union. 


ILLINOIS  DAY,  DECEMBER  3,  1917 

THE   PROGRAM    FOR   THE   EVENING 

Music — Star  Spangled  Banner. 

Invocation — Eev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  S.  J.,  a  member  of  the 

Centennial  Commission. 
Introduction  of  Governor  Lowden,  who  presided — Doctor  Otto 

L.  Schmidt,  Chairman,  Illinois  Centennial  Commission. 
Hon.  Frank  0.  Lowden — The  Illinois  Centennial. 
Hon.  Lawrence  Y.  Sherman — Illinois,  the  Frontier  State. 
*Hon.  Charles  S.  Deneen — The  Pioneer  State. 
Centennial  Poem — Mr.  Wallace  Eice. 
Hon.  Joseph  W.  Fifer — Illinois  in  the  Civil  War. 
Hon.  Edward  F.  Dunne — Illinois'  Men  of  Eloquence. 
Hon.  Eichard  Yates — Illinois  Today. 
Music — Illinois. 

OBSERVANCE  OF  THE   NINETY-NINTH   ANNIVERSARY   OF   THE   ADMIS- 
SION  OF    THE    STATE    OF   ILLINOIS    INTO    THE    FEDERAL    UNION. 

The  entrance  of  Illinois  into  its  Centennial  was  observed  in 
many  places  throughout  the  State. 

At  Springfield  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  the  Illi- 
nois State  Historical  Society,  cooperating,  held  a  most  impressive 
observance. 

In  the  afternoon  a  conference  of  representatives  of  local 
Centennial  associations  was  held  in  the  Senate  Chamber  at  the 
State  House,  presided  over  by  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  chairman  of 
the  Centennial  Commission.  Addresses  were  made  on  topics  of 
interest  to  these  delegates,  making  suggestions  for  local  cele- 
brations. 

Fifty-eight  counties  were  represented  at  the  meeting.  A 
Eound  Table  discussion  of  plans  by  these  representatives  was  an, 
interesting  feature  of  the  afternoon  session. 

*  Governor  Deneen  was  at  the  last  moment  prevented  by  important  busi- 
ness from  being  present. 

52 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  53 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  reception  was  given  by  the 
Governor  and  Mrs.  Lowden  at  the  Executive  Mansion,  and  hun- 
dreds availed  themselves  of  this  gracious  invitation  to  pay  their 
respects  to  the  Centennial  Governor  of  Illinois  and  his  charming 
family  as  well  as  to  visit  the  historic  Mansion  which  has  been  the 
home  of  sixteen  of  Illinois'  twenty-five  Governors. 

THE    ILLINOIS    DAY    BANQUET 

More  than  four  hundred  guests  attended  the  Illinois  Day 
banquet  at  the  Leland  Hotel  in  the  evening.  It  was  one  of  the 
most  delightful  occasions  of  its  kind  ever  held  in  the  Capital  of 
Illinois.  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  presided  and  former 
Governors  Joseph  W.  Fifer,  Richard  Yates,  and  Edward  F.  Dunne 
and  United  States  Senator  Lawrence  Y.  Sherman  were  speakers. 
The  invocation  was  delivered  by  Eev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  S.  J.,  a 
member  of  the  Commission.  Wallace  Eice  read  an  original  poem, 
"Illinois  and  War." 

In  introducing  Governor  Lowden  as  toastmaster,  Dr.  Otto 
L.  Schmidt,  chairman  of  the  Commission  said : 

"A  hundred  years  ago  in  the  last  year  of  Illinois  as  a  territory 
its  course  towards  statehood  was  guided  by  men  of  sterling  worth, 
men  who  proved  themselves  in  the  future  to  deserve  their  reputa- 
tion. Today,  we  are  in  a  crisis  greater  than  that  of  a  hundred 
years  ago.  And  now  the  State  is  guided  by  a  man  who  has  already 
proved  himself  a  worthy  successor  to  those  who  have  preceded  him 
and  without  question,  will  prove  to  us  in  the  future  that  the  people 
have  not  misplaced  their  confidence  and  the  name  of  the  Cen- 
tennial Governor — the  War  Governor,  will  shed  new  splendor  upon 
the  shining  roll  of  Illinois'  illustrious  sons." 

At  the  banquet  special  tables  were  reserved  for  the  members 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Bepublic,  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Eevolution  and  other  patriotic  organizations.  A  table  was 
reserved  for  distinguished  ladies,  and  at  this  were  seated  Mrs. 
Frank  0.  Lowden,  Mrs.  John  M.  Palmer,  Mrs.  Eichard  J.  Oglesby, 
Mrs.  John  E.  Tanner,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Emmerson,  Mrs.  Andrew  Eussel, 
Mrs.  Francis  G.  Blair,  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Mrs.  Hugh  S. 
Magill  and  many  other  prominent  women  of  the  State. 


54  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL 

GOVERNOR  PRANK  0.  LOWDEN 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Fellow  Illinoisans:  We  are  just  entering 
upon  the  one  hundredth  year  of  our  existence  as  a  State.  There 
have  been  those  who  have  believed  that  we  ought  not  to  celebrate 
this  anniversary  because  of  the  great  perils  which  environ  us. 
Others  of  us  have  felt  sure  that  a  study  of  our  past  history  would 
inspire  us  to  be  better  men  and  women  in  this  crucial  present. 

If  we  shall  fully  realize  the  State  which  these  fathers  founded 
for  us  a  hundred  years  ago,  it  means  that  we  shall  fully  realize  the 
price  the  pioneers  and  those  who  followed  them  until  today  have 
paid  for  the  blessings  we  enjoy,  and  it  will  strengthen  our  arms, 
it  will  renew  our  courage,  it  will  make  us  look  with  a  clearer  and 
more  steadfast  eye  at  the  dangers  which  confront  us.  I  believe 
that  this  celebration  under  the  auspices  of  the  Centennial  Commis- 
sion ought  to  be  one  of  the  most  virile,  one  of  the  most  persuasive 
and  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  all  the  patriotic  agencies  which 
we  of  Illinois  can  invoke  at  this  time.  It  has  heartened  me 
greatly  today,  the  magnificent  attendance  at  this  initial  meeting — 
men  and  women  who  know  of  our  past,  who  know  the  sacrifices 
and  the  struggles  which  it  has  held,  who  know  that  while  we  have 
won  great  triumphs,  we  have  not  won  those  triumphs  without 
great  effort  and  without  great  devotion.  They  come  to  this  capital 
city  from  every  corner  of  the  State,  and  their  presence  is  a  pledge 
that  this  celebration  of  our  one  hundredth  anniversary  will  be 
one  of  the  epochal  events  in  our  one  hundred  years  of  history. 

Governor  Lowden  upon  taking  his  place  as  presiding  officer 
of  the  evening,  made  a  stirring  address  on  the  Illinois  Centennial. 
In  closing  his  address  and  introducing  United  States  Senator 
Sherman,  he  said: 

"But  I  am  here,  I  realize,  not  to  make  a  speech,  but  to  intro- 
duce to  you  those  who  will.  I  regret  exceedingly  that  Governor 
Deneen,  who  was  to  respond  to  the  first  toast,  is  unavoidably 
detained.  While  I  regret  his  absence  I  congratulate  you  that  his 
place  will  be  most  ably  filled  by  Lawrence  Y.  Sherman,  who  will 
respond  to  the  toast,  'The  Pioneer  State/  And  while  I  as  a 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  55 

Governor  do  not  concede  that  any  mere  United  States  Senator  can 
take  the  place  of  any  ex-Governor,  I  am  willing,  however,  to  admit 
that  you  will  hear  one  of  the  best  speeches  you  have  ever  heard  in1 
your  life  by  Senator  Sherman/' 

THE  FRONTIER  STATE 

UNITED   STATES    SENATOR   L.    Y.    SHERMAN 

Mr.  Chairman,  Members  of  the  Commission,  and  my  Fellow 
Citizens:  The  subject  assigned  me  is  "The  Pioneer  State."  I 
came  here  to  be  a  member  of  the  audience.  I  think  I  could  add  to 
the  appreciative  interest  of  the  audience  if  I  were  permitted  to 
sit  and  listen  to  the  addresses. 

I  remember  more  about  the  pioneers  than  I  do  about  the 
pioneer  State.  These  pioneers  were  a  sturdy  lot.  They  had  to 
be;  they  could  not  have  survived  in  any  other  way.  They  made 
the  pioneer  State  what  it  was  in  those  days.  There  were  the 
pioneers  of  Turkey  Hill.  Turkey  Hill  was  the  predecessor  of 
Belleville.  There  were  the  pioneers  of  English  Prairie  which  in 
that  part  of  the  country  was  called  Little  Britain.  There  were 
the  pioneers  of  the  Scandinavian  settlement  in  Henry  County 
which  gave  its  impress  to  a  very  large  part  of  the  population  of 
the  pioneer  State.  There  were  the  pioneers  of  Portuguese  religious 
refugees  who  made  up  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the  early  settlers 
in  Sangamon  and  Morgan  counties ;  there  were  the  pioneers  of  the 
Icarian  community  which  came  along  about  the  time  that  the 
Mormons  left  on  their  long  pilgrimage  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
settled  at  Nauvoo  in  Hancock  County  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River. 

Cabet,  a  Frenchman  and  member  of  the  French  Chamber  of 
Deputies  and  editor  of  a  newspaper,  had  some  ideas  that  were  un- 
popular in  his  own  country.  He  got  together  a  colony  of  adherents 
of  his  ideas  and  came  to  the  New  World,  finally  settling  at  Nauvoo. 
The  Icarian  community  flourished  for  many  years  but  it  at  last 
fell  a  prey  to  the  constitutional  defects  incident  to  that  form  of 
human  society.  It  failed,  the  land  was  distributed  and  sold  at 
foreclosure,  finally  passing  into  the  hands  of  those  who  held  it  in 


56 

severalty  and  it  now  belongs  to  prosaic  Hancock  County  farmers 
engaged  in  raising  grain  and  meats  and  furnishing  their  part 
towards  the  provisioning  of  the  army  that  we  are  starting  across 
the  sea.  Cabet  was  willing  to  risk  his  fortune  in  an  effort  to  make 
this  experiment.  I  saw  one  of  the  last  surviving  members  several 
years  ago  while  on  a  visit  to  Nauvoo.  He  was  then  eighty-five 
years  of  age.  He  had  lived  in  three  continents.  He  spoke  fluently 
three  languages,  was  well  educated  and  had  seen  much  of  the  world 
and  knew  human  nature.  I  asked  him  why  the  experiment  failed, 
since  the  community  had  all  property  in  common,  labor  in  com 
mon,  and  sent  their  children  to  a  common  house  to  be  reared,  to 
be  fed  at  a  common  table,  educated  in  a  common  way  by  a  common 
mother,  all  the  cares  of  maternal  life  assumed  by  the  community 
with  everybody  having  the  same  kind  of  meals,  the  same  kind  of 
treatment,  the  same  kind  of  clothes,  with  nobody  possessing  too 
much  and  none  too  little.  He  looked  at  me  long  and  soberly  and 
said:  "It  failed  and  will  continue  to  fail  because  the  Almighty 
has  made  the  human  race  as  it  is/'  A  few  of  the  descendants  are 
up  there  yet  and  they  have  added  their  quota  to  the  mixture  which 
has  made  up  the  pioneer  State  of  Illinois. 

These  are  particular  localities.  Other  nations  which  have  sent 
their  sturdy  emigrants  to  our  borders  left  their  impress  upon  our 
institutions  and  upon  the  history  of  our  State.  These  men  of  the 
pioneer  race  that  emigrated  to  our  State  and  laid  the  foundations 
of  an  empire  of  six  millions  of  people  were  the  real  pioneers  of 
Illinois.  They  were  a  self-reliant,  self-possessed  lot.  I  have  said 
a  good  many  times  about  the  man  dwelling  in  the  large  cities  of 
our  State,  that  if  the  average  boy  of  the  city  were  taken  by  the 
scruff  of  the  neck  and  thrown  into  the  middle  of  a  great  prairie 
or  a  great  forest  that  he  would  nearly  starve  to  death  by  his  in- 
ability to  take  care  of  himself  in  such  new  surroundings. 

The  pioneer  of  Illinois  learned  to  take  care  of  himself  on  the 
boundless  prairies  and  in  the  illimitable  forests.  He  knew  the 
laws  of  nature.  He  knew  the  action  of  the  elements.  He  knew  the 
peculiarities  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  with  whom  he  struggled 
part  of  the  time  and  made  peace  the  rest  of  the  time.  He  knew1 
how  to  live  in  the  wooded  belts  of  this  country.  He  knew  how  to 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  57 

extract  a  livelihood  from  the  great  plains,  and  in  both  the  wood- 
lands and  the  prairie  land  he  learned  to  be  a  pioneer,  and  from  the 
rugged  elements  furnished  by  Old  Mother  Nature  he  learned  to 
extract  a  livelihood  and  subjugate  their  rude  resources  and  to  build 
up  from  all  these  elements  given  him  the  foundations  of  a  mighty 
State.  These  were  the  empire  builders  of  Illinois. 

How  many  boys  could  go  out  from  Springfield  into  timber 
land  with  powder,  tinder,  flint  lock  gun  and  knife  and  without  any 
of  the  provisions  or  requirements  of  civilized  life  sustain  their  own 
lives  against  all  comers  either  man  or  beast?  Our  pioneer  fathers 
came  to  Illinois  and  crossed  the  Ohio  Eiver  from  the  dark  and 
bloody  ground  of  old  Kentucky  in  the  days  of  Boone  and  Simon 
Kenton,  and  literally  they  lived  upon  what  nature  furnished  them 
from  the  beginning.  They  had  neither  bread,  meat  nor  salt.  They 
had  only  their  sturdy  hands,  their  courageous  hearts,  their  clear  eyes 
and  their  resolute  wills  and  with  these  as  a  mighty  power  given 
them  by  their  Maker  from  above  they  laid  the  cornerstones  and 
hewed  out  the  foundations  of  Illinois.  How  many,  I  repeat,  of 
the  boys  raised  in  the  city,  young  men  from  eighteen  to  forty  years 
of  age  could  go  out  on  the  prairie  and  in  the  timber  of  a  mighty 
wilderness  and  with  nothing  but  a  rifle  or  a  hunting  knife  carve 
out  their  livelihood  and  build  there  huts  and  raise  their  families 
and  defend  themselves  against  all  the  elements  and  the  wild  beasts 
and  still  wilder  men  that  preyed  upon  them  ?  That  is  the  test. 

We  return  in  such  circumstances  to  the  original  primeval 
strength  of  human  nature  and  the  greatness  of  human  character 
against  difficulties.  We  of  this  day,  of  the  more  modern  Illinois 
are  not  facing  the  same  elements,  facing  the  same  duties  of  our 
pioneer  ancestors  of  Illinois  and  of  the  Middle  West  of  our  country. 
We  are  not  facing  that  kind  of  problem  now  but,  with  the  civilized 
agencies  at  hand,  with  all  that  science  has  done  to  make  effective 
our  efforts,  whether  they  be  of  peace  or  war,  we  are  now  facing  in 
Illinois  and  in  all  the  states  of  the  Union  a  greater  problem  than 
any  of  our  pioneer  ancestors  met  to  maintain  themselves  and  their 
families  in  the  face  of  rugged  nature.  We  today,  with  all  the 
civilized  agencies  about  to  be  invoked  for  and  against  us,  are  facing 
the  problem  of  helping  to  maintain  free  government  in  the  world 


58  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

against  the  autocracy  of  Germany.  We  may  thank  our  great  Father 
above  that  he  gave  to  our  ancestors  blood  and  sturdy  frame  to 
transmit  to  us  of  this  generation  the  same  characteristics  to  be 
used  in  a  different  way,  it  is  true,  but  the  same  masculine  strength 
that  will  be  required  to  meet  our  full  responsibility  in  the  great 
struggle  we  now  face. 

I  predict  that  the  great  State  of  Illinois  will  be  no  laggard 
in  this  task  and  as  our  fathers  faced  the  struggle  with  the  elements 
so  shall  we  of  this  generation  face  the  struggle  with  men  in  mortal 
combat  wherever  and  whenever  necessary,  that  we  may  give  a 
good  account  of  ourselves  with  our  Allies  across  the  sea,  that  we 
shall  help  check  the  break  at  the  last  in  the  Italian  line,  that  we 
shall  be  at  last  present  in  a  united  effort  with  Haig  and  Foch  and 
Pershing  on  the  von  Hindenburg  front  when  it  is  sent  back  in  its 
retreat  and  broken  until  it  will  retire  to  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine 
where  it  belongs.  We  of  this  pioneer  State  of  Illinois  will  be  found 
at  last  on  every  front  and  we  will  bring  or  help  to  bring  peace  to  a 
troubled  world  as  the  supreme  duty  of  civilized  man  at  this  hour 
and  time. 

I  thank  you  for  the  opportunity  to  look  into  your  faces  and 
say  these  few  words  to  you.  I  came  to  listen  and  to  be  informed. 
I  never  have  been  Governor  of  this  State.  Here  are  four  who 
either  have  been  or  now  are  Governors.  They  know  more  about 
this  State  than  I  do.  They  have  had  practical  experience.  Mine, 
outside  of  the  Legislature,  has  been  largely  theoretical.  Not  one 
of  these  Governors  or  ex-Governors  that  are  facing  me  now  that  I 
have  not  advised  many  times  what  to  do.  Many  times  they  seemed 
to  know  more  about  how  to  do  it  than  I  did,  and  after  it  was  all 
done  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  but  that  they  were  right.  But  these 
Governors  are  the  successors  to  a  mighty  line  of  executives  in  this 
State.  Beginning  with  Shadrach  Bond  and  ending  with  Frank 
Lowden,  there  never  has  been  a  Governor  of  Illinois  that  could  not 
stand  among  his  fellows  of  all  our  country  and  in  the  sight  of  his 
constituents  give  a  fair  account  of  himself  and  his  administration. 
I  thank  you  and  the  chairman  and  toastmaster  of  the  evening  for 
this  opportunity  to  meet  with  you.  Inside  of  two  days  I  shall  be 
sitting  over  on  the  left  hand  side  of  President  Marshall  and  from 


59 

that  time  on  until  next  summer,  outside  of  voting  taxes  and  talking 
I  do  not  expect  to  do  anything  else,  so  get  your  pocketbooks  out 
and  be  ready.  But  the  taxes  will  be  for  war  purposes.  It  is  not  all 
shouting  and  rallying  around  the  flag;  part  of  it  is  paying  taxes 
and  we  are  going  to  have  plenty  of  that  before  this  is  over.  I  now 
surrender,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  time  that  I  have  left  and  will  listen 
for  the  remainder  of  the  evening. 


ILLINOIS  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

JOSEPH   W.   FIFEK,  GOVEENOE  OF   ILLINOIS,   1889-1893 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  am  indeed  glad  to 
be  here  upon  this  most  interesting  occasion.  It  is  highly  proper 
that  we  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the  day  when  Illinois  became  a 
member  of  the  Federal  Union,  and  this  celebration  is  only  a  pre- 
lude to  the  greater  one  that  is  to  follow  next  year. 

Illinois  is  associated  with  the  earliest  history  of  our  country. 
It  cut  some  figure  in  that  long  war  between  the  Latin  and  the 
English  speaking  peoples  for  the  possession  of  a  continent.  It  will 
be  remembered  at  an  early  day  the  French  took  possession  of 
Canada  and  extended  westward  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  then  turning 
southward  they  took  possession  of  the  territory  around  Chicago, 
LaSalle,  Peoria  and  Kaskaskia,  thence  they  followed  the  Missis- 
sippi to  its  mouth,  thus  forming  a  semicircle  around  what  is  now 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  United  States.  At  many  places  they 
built  forts,  made  settlements  and  left  the  impress  of  their  names 
upon  our  State.  Some  were  gold  seekers;  but  the  main  object  of 
some,  however,  was  to  Christianize  and  civilize  the  Indian,  and 
the  work  of  LaSalle,  Marquette  and  others  in  this  regard  is  worthy 
of  all  praise  and  their  efforts  mark  them  as  among  the  most  exalted 
moral  characters  of  history. 

A  little  while  before  this  the  English  settled  at  Jamestown 
and  Plymouth  and  soon  thereafter  they  were  joined  by  the  Dutch 
of  New  York  and  the  Germans  of  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
peoples  of  the  home  and  the  fireside.  They  felled  the  forest, 
erected  churches,  school  houses  and  institutions.  In  time  they 
followed  the  star  of  empire  westward  across  the  Alleghany  Moun- 


60  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

tains  and  landed  in  the  great  Mississippi  Valley  and  thus  came  in 
conflict  with  the  French  settlements  and  civilization  which  I  have 
described.  Then  was  begun  a  chronic  warfare  lasting  for  many 
years  and  which  finally  culminated  in  the  Victory  at  Quebec  on 
the  Heights  of  Abraham,  when  the  greater  portion  of  this  vast 
continent  passed  forever  from  the  hands  of  the  Latin  into  the  hands 
of  the  English  speaking  peoples. 

In  time  the  colonies  declared  their  independence  of  the  mother 
country  and  during  the  war  which  ensued  England  held  what  is 
known  as  the  Northwest  Territory  by  three  fortifications,  located 
respectively  at  Detroit,  Michigan;  Vincennes,  Indiana,  and  Kas- 
kaskia,  Illinois.  Hamilton,  the  English  Governor  of  the  territory, 
was  constantly  fitting  out  Indian  expeditions  during  the  war  to 
prey  on  the  frontier  settlements  of  the  colonies.  Patrick  Henry, 
then  Governor  of  Virginia,  in  order  to  break  up  these  forays  fitted 
out  an  expedition  under  George  Eogers  Clark,  whose  men  were  in 
part  recruited  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  of  Virginia.  He  crossed 
the  Alleghany  Mountains  where  additions  were  made  to  his  little 
army.  He  then  dropped  down  the  Ohio  River  in  boats  improvised 
for  the  purpose,  landed  at  some  point  in  Massac  County,  this  State, 
and  from  there  he  marched  his  army,  composed  of  less  than  200 
men,  to  Kaskaskia.  That  place  being  a  French  town  was  friendly 
to  the  American  cause  and  by  the  information  received  from  a 
Catholic  priest  he  had  no  difficulty  in  capturing  the  place  and  soon 
thereafter  took  Fort  Gage  which  was  the  main  defense  of  that 
settlement.  Early  the  following  spring  he  marched  on  Vincennes 
and  captured  that  place  also  and  with  its  surrender  Governor 
Hamilton  was  made  a  prisoner  and  was  sent  by  Clark  under  guard 
on  horseback  to  Virginia  where  he  was  kept  in  a  common  jail  for 
some  time,  and  was  afterwards  exchanged.  This  is  known  in 
history  as  the  conquest  of  the  Northwest  by  George  Rogers  Clark 
and  is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  pages  in  our  national  history. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  England  gave  up  the 
Northwest  Territory  with  reluctance.  The  United  Colonies  claimed 
it,  however,  by  right  of  conquest,  and  the  right  was  conceded.  Out 
of  this  territory  there  have  been  carved  the  great  states  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  which  states  hold  today 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  61 

a  population  of  over  20,000,000  free  people.  This  territory  fell 
to  the  state  of  Virginia  on  the  facts  here  given,  and  it  was  by 
Virginia  ceded  to  the  General  Government  without  consideration, 
the  most  munificent  gift  that  was  ever  made  by  one  people  to 
another.  By  the  ordinance  of  1787  it  was  provided  that  neither 
slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  should  ever  exist  in  the  territory. 
It  should  be  said  in  this  connection  that  largely  through  the  efforts 
of  Edward  Coles,  another  Virginian,  one  of  the  early  Governors 
of  our  State,  and  for  a  time  private  secretary  to  Mr.  Madison,  Illi- 
nois remained  a  free  State.  All  of  which  affords  some  foundation 
for  the  speech  of  an  eloquent  Virginian,  who,  in  reference  to  his 
own  State,  said,  "Although  her  territory  may  be  overrun  by  hostile 
armies  and  her  fields  washed  into  gullies,  still  the  product  of  her 
soil  has  been  heroes  and  statesmen." 

The  passing  years  rolled  by  and  Illinois  became  part  and 
parcel  of  the  Federal  Union  and  her  history  then  mingled  with  the 
broader  stream  of  our  National  life  and  is  as  familiar  as  the 
primer  to  every  school  boy. 

Illinois  is  today  the  broadest  and  richest  agricultural  expanse 
beneath  the  sun.  This  little  sensation  at  the  pit  of  the  stomach 
which  we  call  hunger  has  caused  vast  migrations.  It  brought  our 
Aryan  forefathers  into  Europe.  The  track  of  man  has  always  been 
toward  the  most  abundant  food  supply  and  this  fact  is  destined 
to  make  Illinois  the  most  popular  State  in  the  Union.  She  has 
56,000  square  miles  of  territory,  36,000  of  which  is  underlaid 
with  coal,  which  gives  her  a  double  wealth  and  makes  it  possible 
for  her  to  become  the  greatest  manufacturing  State.  Her  manu- 
factured products  now  reach  millions  of  human  beings  and  find 
their  way  into  the  remotest  corners  of  the  civilized  world.  Within 
her  borders,  school  houses  and  churches  are  never  out  of  sight. 
She  has  approximately  7,000,000  of  people  who  are  among  the 
freeest,  the  most  industrious,  the  most  intelligent  and  virtuous 
people  in  the  world.  They  now,  at  the  close  of  the  first  century 
of  their  State's  existence,  turn  their  faces  in  hope  and  confidence 
toward  the  great  future  of  this  great  land  which  the  fathers  have 
conquered  and  bequeathed  to  us  as  an  inheritance  forever. 


62  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

To  nearly  every  generation  falls  the  duty  of  performing  some 
heavy  task.  Our  heroic  forefathers  fought  the  Revolutionary  War 
to  a  successful  conclusion  and  planted  free  institutions  in  a  wilder- 
ness. To  the  generation  of  1812  fell  the  duty  of  defending  the 
rights  of  American  seamen  and  Lundy's  Lane  and  that  acute 
tragedy  at  New  Orleans  under  Jackson  attest  the  heroism  of  our 
soldiers  at  that  period.  Again  the  fortitude  and  valor  of  America's 
volunteer  soldiers  was  displayed  in  the  war  with  Mexico;  a  war 
that  gaves  us  a  vast  territory  out  of  which  great  states  have  been 
carved;  states  now  filled  with  intelligence  and  wealth  and  all  the 
progressive  ideas  of  our  modern  civilization. 

Possibly  the  heaviest  task  of  all  fell  to  the  generation  of  1861. 
It  was  early  prophesied  by  the  great  statesmen  of  early  times  that 
if  there  should  ever  be  civil  war  between  the  north  and  the  south, 
Illinois,  by  reason  of  her  geographical  position,  was  destined  to 
become  a  conspicuous  figure,  and  such  prophecy  was  fulfilled  in 
good  round  measure. 

Scarcely  had  the  Federal  Union  been  formed  until  the  ques- 
tion was  asked,  "Has  a  state  the  right  to  dissolve  it?"  On  one 
side  of  that  question  were  ranged  the  Kentucky  and  Virginian 
resolutions,  those  who  wrote  them  and  all  who  advocated  their 
principles.  On  the  other  side  were  the  luminous  opinions  of 
Marshall,  the  convincing  orations  of  Hamilton  and  Webster  and 
the  imposing  majesty  of  Washington.  Heated  discussion  and 
much  ill  will  arose.  One  side  maintained  that  this  was  a  weak 
league  of  states,  any  one  of  which  might  any  day  jostle  from  its 
uncertain  place  in  the  Union;  the  other  said,  "No,  we  are  a 
Nation  with  a  Nation's  rights  and  a  Nation's  power,  grand,, 
sovereign  and  free."  The  conflict  was  indeed  irrepressible.  Early 
in  '61  a  dark  cloud  rose  out  of  the  gulf  and  hung  ominously  over 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  From  out  of  that  cloud  the  lightnings 
finally  struck  and  we  older  ones  know  what  followed,  but  none 
can  ever  describe  it. 

It  were  idle  now  to  contend  in  the  pride  of  individual  opinion 
where  the  right  lay  in  that  great  conflict.  History  is  already 
recording  the  final  verdict  and  that  verdict  will  be  just  and  kind 
to  all,  but  let  no  faint-hearted  patriot  doubt  that  God's  eternal 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  63 

truth  will  be  established  in  it.  We  are  glad  to  believe  the  courage 
displayed  on  both  sides  is  now  the  common  heritage  of  the  great 
American  people. 

In  that  great  crisis  Illinois  with  a  population  of  little  over 
one  and  a  half  millions  gave  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  in  round 
numbers,  260,000  soldiers,  among  them  being  over  60  generals. 
She  was  conspicuous  in  all  the  battlefields  of  the  West,  and  her 
soldiers  won  renown  in  every  battle  in  which  they  were  engaged. 
It  was  around  the  bivouac  fires  of  the  soldiers  of  Illinois  that  were 
organized  the  beginnings  of  victory.  She  furnished  at  least  two- 
thirds  of  the  army  that  took  Vicksburg  and  of  the  36  regiments 
at  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  she  furnished  19,  and  it  was  there 
that  the  silent  man  from  Galena  voiced  the  Nation's  high  resolve 
in  the  demand  for  immediate  and  unconditional  surrender.  A 
plain,  simple,  silent  man  who  from  humble  beginnings  rose  step 
by  step  until  he  became  the  greatest  soldier  of  the  modern  world; 
with  his  head  far  above  the  clouds  while  the  lightning  played  only 
about  his  feet. 

As  our  State  furnished  the  great  soldier  for  that  historic 
crisis  she  was  destined  also  to  furnish  the  great  statesman.  Illi- 
nois, if  she  had  done  nothing  more,  would  have  done  her  full  duty 
in  giving  to  the  country  Abraham  Lincoln.  Many  another  star 
rose  and  set  in  that  great  conflict,  but  his  burned  with  an  ever 
increasing  luster  to  the  last.  Great,  serene,  and  steadfast,  a 
statesman,  yet  one  of  the  people,  and  trusting  only  God  more  than 
the  people,  Lincoln  seized  the  helm  of  State  in  the  darkest  hour 
this  Nation  ever  saw  and  left  it  in  the  dawn  of  a  resplendent 
glory  to  lie  down  weary  and  broken  beneath  a  monument  of  public 
gratitude,  the  greatest  and  most  enduring  that  marks  the  grave 
of  mortal  man  today. 

We  of  the  great  prairie  State  will  always  feel  proud  it  was 
two  citizens  of  Illinois,  Lincoln  and  Grant,  who  completed  the 
work  begun  by  Washington  and  Hamilton,  cemented  forever  the 
jostling  fragments  of  the  Union  and  made  the  term  "American 
Citizens  indeed  the  panoply  and  safeguard  of  him  who  wears  it/' 
If  you  would  know  the  full  story  of  Illinois  in  the  great  Civil  War 
then  go  read  the  records  in  yonder  Capitol  and  learn  the  story 


64 

how,  into  the  balance  of  destiny  wherein  a  half  a  century  ago 
uncertainly  trembled,  the  fate  of  the  Kepublic,  Illinois  drew 
her  sword  and  helped  to  turn  the  scale.  How  her  brave  sons  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their  comrades  of  so  many  sister  states, 
baring  their  bosoms  to  the  storm  that  so  nearly  rent  a  Nation. 

Since  these  tragic  events  I  have  passed  from  a  young  to  an 
old  man  and  I  had  hoped  never  to  see  another  war.  I  know  from 
bitter  experience  something  of  the  allurements  bf  war.  The  ad- 
vancing bayonet  line  of  victory  has  always  been  an  imposing 
spectacle,  and  the  assaulting  column  stands  ever  in  the  focus  of 
the  world's  attention.  I  should  like,  after  the  war,  to  direct  the 
minds  of  our  people  from  the  soaring  eagle  and  the  splintered 
crag  to  the  peaceful  vocations  of  life ;  to  a  nation  of  happy  homes, 
to  flaming  forges  and  waving  fields  of  grain.  And  for  our  future 
security,  I  would  not  rely  alone  upon  battleships,  forts  and 
arsenals,  but  upon  our  school  houses  and  churches,  as  well.  Surely 
the  far-off  day  will  come  when  nations  shall  not  be  ruled  by  force. 
That  day  is  distant,  I  know,  but  it  will  come  in  God's  own  good 
time  and  when  it  does,  we  shall,  let  us  hope,  behold  a  land  without 
a  soldier  and  without  a  beggar. 

We  have  recently  witnessed  the  events  of  the  Spanish  War  in 
which  our  brave  soldiers  drove  a  tyrant  from  the  Western 
Hemisphere  and  gave  liberty  to  a  people.  Now  we  are  far  into 
the  fourth  year  of  the  greatest  war  of  all  history,  and  in  the 
language  of  the  great  Douglas  there  can  be  but  two  parties,  patriots 
and  traitors.  President.  Wilson  is  not  of  my  party  and  I  differ 
from  him  regarding  industrial  questions  affecting  the  public  wel- 
fare. But  he  is  my  President  and  the  President  of  100,000,000 
free  people  and  I  shall  do  what  I  can  to  uphold  his  hands  until  an 
honorable  and  a  lasting  peace  shall  be  secured. 

Into  the  keeping  of  the  young  men  who  are  now  going  forth 
to  do  battle  for  their  country  we  commit  our  flag  with  all  the 
hallowed  memories  that  cluster  about  it.  I  have  looked  into  many 
of  the  determined  and  intelligent  faces  of  these  young  men  and  I 
am  sure  they  will  constitute  the  most  effective  and  courageous 
army  that  was  ever  marshalled  under  our  flag.  I  am  sure  too  that 
they  will  carry  that  flag  in  triumph  across  the  bloody  battlefields 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  65 

of  Europe  and  will  bring  it  back  with  victory  written  all  over  its 
ample  folds  and  thereby  add  additional  honor  and  glory  to  the 
imperishable  history  of  past  achievements.  And  when  they  return 
in  triumph  to  their  native  land  they  will  be  welcomed  by  glad 
hands  to  the  freest,  the  happiest  and  the  most  prosperous  country 
in  the  world. 

If  I  believed  this  war  was  being  waged  for  conquest  and  vain 
glory,  I  should  oppose  it.  If  I  believed  this  war  to  be  only  the 
prelude  to  s.till  other  wars  and  was  not  being  waged  for  the  peace 
of  the  world,  I  should  oppose  it.  I  hope  and  believe  this  conflict 
will  teach  the  world  the  great  lesson,  that  at  the  bar  of  history 
prior  adjudications  of  armed  force  cannot  be  pleaded  and  that  he 
who  would  win  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  civilized  opinion  must  leave 
captured  colors  and  the  spoils  of  cities  and  come  with  fruits  of 
justice  and  humanity  in  his  hands.  To  this  judgment  bar  the 
great  American  people  are  content  to  rest  their  cause  and  invoke 
the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind.  And,  should  that  judgment 
be  in  our  favor  there  shall  bloom  on  earth  at  last  the  snow-white 
flower  of  Universal  Peace. 


THE  ORATORS  OF  ILLINOIS 

EDWARD  F.  DUNNE,  GOVERNOR  OF  ILLINOIS,  1913-1917 

Today  we  enter  the  year,  the  last  day  of  which  marks  the 
centenary  of  the  admission  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois  into  the 
Union.  The  citizens  of  no  State  in  this  great  Republic  have  better 
reason  to  celebrate  the  State's  centenary  than  have  the  citizens  of 
Illinois.  Within  a  hundred  years  she  has  advanced  among  these 
States  from  a  sparsely  settled,  frontier  State  having  a  population 
less  than  the  city  of  Springfield  has  today,  to  the  third  place 
among  the  States  of  the  Union,  in  population  and  political  and 
commercial  power. 

On  such  an  occasion,  it  is  well  to  mark  and  point  with  pride 

to  the  material  progress  of  the  State,  and  during  the  year  upon 

which  we  are  now  entering  that  progress  and  prosperity  of  Illinois 

will  be  dwelt  upon  by  many  a  tongue  within  the  borders  of  Illinois. 

— 5  c  c 


66  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

We  are,  however,  in  my  judgment,  altogether  too  prone  in  this 
material  age  to  point  with  pride  to,  and  boast  of,  mere  material 
and  financial  strength.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  the  spiritual 
and  intellectual  history  of  the  State  has  been  altogether  too  much 
neglected  by  the  historian. 

We  never  cease  to  point  to  the  fact  that  Illinois  has  distanced 
all  of  her  sister  States,  excepting  two,  in  population  and  com- 
merce; that  she  stands  first  in  agricultural  wealth,  fertility  of 
soil  and  railway  development,  and  second  today  in  the  possession 
of  all  wealth,  but  we  should  be  equally  proud  to  boast  that  it  was 
upon  the  soil  of  Illinois  that  Pere  Marquette  made  most  of  his 
important  discoveries.  We  should  be  equally  proud  of  the  achieve- 
ments within  her  borders  of  LaSalle  and  Joliet,  Tonti  and  Hen- 
nepin. 

We  should  be  equally  proud  of  the  fact  that  the  hardy  pioneers 
of  Illinois  dwelling  around  Kaskaskia  anticipated,  as  far  back 
as  1771,  the  demands  of  the  colonists  in  Massachusetts,  New  York 
and  Virginia,  when  they  repudiated  Lord  Dartmouth's  "Sketch  of 
Government  of  Illinois"  as  being  "oppressive  and  absurd"  and 
declared  that  "should  a  government  so  evidently  tyrannical  be 
established,  it  could  be  of  no  duration.  There  would  exist  the 
necessity  of  its  being  abolished."  This  declaration  of  independence 
antedates  that  of  1776  in  Philadelphia  by  nearly  five  years. 

We  should  be  equally  proud  of  the  fact  that  on  Illinois  soil 
took  place,  on  July  4,  1778,  the  struggle  resulting  in  the  capture 
from  the  English,  by  George  Eogers  Clark,  of  the  Fort  of  Kas- 
kaskia, which  wrested  forever  from  the  British  crown  all  the  terri- 
tory west  of  Pennsylvania  lying  between  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers. 

We  should  be  equally  proud  of  the  fact  that  it  was  upon  the 
prairies  of  Illinois  that  the  two  greatest  Americans  of  their  day, 
citizens  of  Illinois,  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  discussed  in  joint  debate 
the  greatest  moral  question  ever  presented  to  a  free  people — the 
question  as  to  whether  a  Republic  of  free  men  could  endure  with 
human  slavery  legally  enforced  in  one  part  of  it  and  legally  pro- 
hibited in  another. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  67 

We  should  be  equally  proud,  if  not  more  proud,  that  when 
that  question  was  finally  settled  by  the  awful  arbitrament  of  Civil 
War,  it  was  a  citizen  of  Illinois  who  was  President  in  the  White 
House  and  a  citizen  of  Illinois,  in  the  person  of  U.  S.  Grant,  who 
led  the  victorious  armies  of  the  Eepublic  to  a  final  and  complete 
victory,  backed  by  the  valor  of  250,000  of  the  sons  of  Illinois  upon 
the  battlefield. 

And  at  such  a  time  as  this,  it  occurs  to  me,  that  the  orators 
and  oratory  of  Illinois  should  not  be  overlooked.  Every  epoch  of 
history  finds  a  tongue,  and  every  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  nations, 
find  an  evangel.  This  is  the  history  of  the  world  and  this  is  the 
history  of  Illinois  and  this  Republic.  Since  the  Revolutionary 
War  this  country  has  faced  two  great  epoch-making  crises — the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  in  1861  and  the  war  for  the  preservation  of 
democracy  in  1917.  In  both  crises,  the  State  of  Illinois  found  its 
tongue,  in  the  persons  of  great  orators  and  statesmen.  In  the 
crisis  of  1861,  not  only  did  Illinois  furnish  in  the  Presidency  a 
gifted  orator  from  whose  eloquent  tongue  fell  the  classic  of  Gettys- 
burg, but  two  other  men  of  lofty  eloquence  in  the  persons  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Edward  Dickinson  Baker. 

In  view  of  all  that  has  been  uttered  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  by  abler  tongues  than  mine,  I  will  not  on  this 
occasion  add  a  single  word  to  mar  the  completeness  of  eulogy  which 
has  heretofore  been  theirs  and  which  shall  remain  theirs  as  long  as 
man  shall  read  and  assimilate  history.  Let  me  devote  my  atten- 
tion, but  briefly,  to  the  wonderful  part  played  by  Edward  Dickin- 
son Baker  in  the  history  of  the  State  and  the  nation  as  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  people  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War. 

There  is  hung  in  the  mansion  at  Springfield  the  oil  painting 
of  a  singularly  handsome  man — by  the  way,  the  only  oil  painting 
in  the  mansion.  When  elected  Governor  of  this  State,  my  atten- 
tion was  attracted  to  this  picture  and  I  must  confess,  to  my 
humiliation  and  shame,  that  for  some  time  I  was  unable  to  dis- 
cover who  was  the  original.  I  was  too  young  in  1861  to  have 
heard  in  my  boyhood  of  this  great  man  nor  had  I  ever  seen  a 
portrait  of  Senator  Baker  until  I  entered  the  mansion.  Upon 
inquiry,  I  discovered  that  the  oil  painting  of  this  handsome  man 


68  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

was  that  of  Edward  D.  Baker,  colonel  of  volunteers  in  the  war 
of  the  rebellion  and  United  States  Senator  from  Oregon,  one  of 
the  most  patriotically  eloquent  men  of  his  day.  While  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  United  States  Senator  from  the  state  of 
Oregon,  Senator  Baker  was  a  thoroughly  Illinois  production.  On 
the  fourth  day  of  July,  1837,  he  had  established  such  a  reputation 
for  eloquence  in  the  city  of  Springfield  where  he  lived  that  he  was 
selected  by  a  committee  who  had  under  consideration  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  James  Shields,  Lyman  Trumbull, 
James  A.  McDougall  and  John  A.  McClernand  as  the  orator  to 
deliver  an  oration  appropriate  to  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of 
the  new  State  House  in  Springfield.  Thereafter  he  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly  from  the  county  of 
Sangamon,  and  shortly  afterwards  to  the  State  Senate.  His  repu- 
tation for  eloquence  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  for  several 
terms  secured  his  election  to  Congress  from  the  Springfield  dis- 
trict. Almost  immediately  he  distinguished  himself  as  one  of  the 
leading  and  most  influential  and  eloquent  members  of  the  National 
House  of  Representatives.  On  the  death  of  President  Taylor,  he 
was  selected  by  Congress  to  deliver  the  memorial  address.  It 
proved  to  be  as  choice  a  specimen  of  eloquence  as  can  be  found 
in  the  records  of  Congress.  The  concluding  sentence  of  this  noble 
speech  may  well  be  quoted  here:  "The  President  during  whose 
administration  the  war  commenced,  'sleeps  in  the  house  appointed 
for  all  the  living/  and  the  great  soldier  who  had  led  the  advance 
and  assured  the  triumph,  'lies  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest/  Ah, 
sir,  if  in  this  assembly  there  is  a  man  whpse  heart  beats  with 
tumultuous,  and  unrestrained  ambition  let  him  today  stand  by  the 
bier  on  which  that  lifeless  body  is  laid,  and  learn  how  much  of 
human  greatness  fades  in  an  hour.  But  if  there  be  another  here, 
whose  fainting  heart  shrinks  from  a  noble  purpose,  let  him  too, 
visit  those  sacred  remains,  to  be  reminded  how  much  there  is  in 
true  glory  that  can  never  die."  This  great  oration  was  delivered 
in  the  month  of  July,  1850.  "Within  a  short  time  thereafter, 
attracted  by  the  lure  of  the  gold  discoveries  in  California,  we  find 
him  practising  his  profession  as  a  lawyer  in  that  great  state.  Here 
again  the  innate  and  irrepressible  eloquence  of  the  man  breaks 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  69 

out  in  a  classic  delivered  over  the  dead  body  of  Senator  Broderick 
who  fell  in  a  duel  with  Judge  Terry.  In  that  great  effort  is 
recorded  as  fierce  and  as  powerful  a  protest  against  the  "Code  of 
honor"  as  is  contained  in  the  English  language.  Listen  to  his 
words : 

"Today  I  renew  my  protest;  today  I  utter  yours.  The  code 
of  honor  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare;  it  palters  with  the  hope  of  a 
true  courage,  and  binds  it  at  the  feet  of  crafty  and  cruel  skill.  It 
surrounds  its  victim  with  the  pomp  and  grace  of  the  procession, 
but  leaves  him  bleeding  on  the  altar.  It  substitutes  cold  and 
deliberate  preparations  for  courageous  and  manly  impulse,  and 
arms  the  one  to  disarm  the  other;  it  may  prevent  fraud  between 
practiced  duelists,  who  should  be  forever  without  its  pale,  but  it 
makes  the  mere  'trick  of  the  weapon'  superior  to  the  noblest  cause 
and  the  truest  courage.  Its  pretense  of  equality  is  a  lie;  it  is 
equal  in  all  of  the  form,  it  is  unjust  in  all  the  substance — the 
habitude  of  arms,  the  early  training,  the  frontier  life,  the  border 
war,  the  sectional  custom,  the  life  of  leisure — all  these  are  advan- 
tages which  no  negotiations  can  neutralize,  and  which  no  courage 
can  overcome." 

He  concludes  that  noble  oration  with  these  eloquent  words: 
"But  the  last  word  must  be  spoken,  and  the  imperiaus  mandate  of 
death  must  be  fulfilled.  Thus,  0,  brave  heart,  we  bear  thee  to  thy 
rest !  Thus,  surrounded  by  tens  of  thousands,  we  leave  thee  to  the 
equal  grave.  As  in  life  no  other  voice  among  us  so  rang  its  trumpet 
blast  upon  the  ear  of  free-men,  so  in  death  its  echoes  will  rever- 
berate amid  our  mountains  and  valleys,  until  truth  and  valor  cease 
to  appeal  to  the  human  heart.  Good  friend !  true  hero ;  hail  and 
farewell." 

FIRST   MEMORIAL   ADDRESS 

Upon  his  election  to  the  United  States  Senate,  he  at  once 
leaped  into  front  place  as  one  of  the  orators  of  that  august  body. 
His  first  memorable  speech  in  the  United  States  Senate  was  in 
answer  to  that  of  Judah  P.  Benjamin,  senator  from  Louisiana, 
in  which  he  successfully  combated  the  right  of  the  state  of  South 
Carolina  to  secede  from  the  Union.  The  whole  oration  is  one  of 


70  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

matchless  logic  and  exalted  eloquence.  I  quote  merely  from  its 
peroration : 

"Whatever  moderation,  whatever  that  great  healer,  time, 
whatever  the  mediation  of  those  allied  to  these  people  in  blood, 
in  sympathy,  in  interest,  may  effect — let  that  be  done:  but  at 
last,  let  the  laws  be  maintained,  and  the  Union  be  preserved. 
*  *  *  As  I  take  my  leave  of  a  subject,  upon  which  I  have 
detained  you  too  long,  I  think  in  my  own  mind,  whether  I  shall 
add  anything  in  my  feeble  way  to  the  hopes,  the  prayers,  the 
aspirations,  that  are  going  forth  daily  for  the  perpetuity  of  the 
union  of  these  states.  I  ask  myself,  shall  I  add  anything  to  that 
volume  of  invocation  which  is  everywhere  rising  up  to  high 
Heaven,  'Spare  us  from  the  madness  and  disunion  and  Civil  War  ?' 

"Speaking  upon  this  subject,  I  cannot  forget  that  I  am  stand- 
ing in  a  place  once  occupied  by  one  far  mightier  than  I,  the  latchet 
of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose.  It  was  upon  this  sub- 
ject of  secession,  of  disunion,  of  discord,  of  Civil  War,  that  Mr. 
Webster  uttered  immortal  sentiments,  clothed  in  immortal  words, 
married  to  the  noblest  expressions  that  ever  fell  from  human  lips ; 
which  alone  would  have  made  him  memorable,  and  remembered 
forever.  Sir,  I  cannot  improve  upon  those  expressions.  They 
were  uttered  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  in  the  face  of  what  was 
imagined  to  be  a  great  danger,  then  happily  dissipated.  They 
were  uttered  in  the  fullness  of  his  genius,  from  the  fullness  of  his 
heart.  They  have  found  an  echo  since  then  in  millions  of  homes, 
and  in  foreign  lands.  They  have  been  a  text-book  in  the  schools. 
They  have  been  an  inspiration  to  public  hope  and  to  public  liberty. 
As  I  close,  I  repeat  them.  If,  in  their  presence,  I  were  to  attempt 
to  give  utterance  to  any  words  of  my  own,  I  should  feel  that  I 
ought  to  say, 

'And  shall  the  Lyre,  so  long  divine, 
Degenerate  into  hands  like  mine  ?' " 

His  last  and  probably  most  eloquent  speech  was  delivered 
in  the  United  States  Senate  in  the  full  uniform  of  a  colonel  of 
volunteers  a  few  days  before  he  met  his  death  upon  the  battlefield 
of  Ball's  Bluff  in  answer  to  a  speech  delivered  by  Senator  Brecken- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  71 

ridge  of  Kentucky.  The  whole  speech  is  one  of  exalted  patriotism 
and  eloquence,  which  should  be  read  by  every  citizen  of  the  re- 
public. An  idea  of  its  power  can  be  obtained  from  its  closing 
sentence : 

"Shall  we  sink  into  the  insignificance  of  the  grave,  a  degraded, 
defeated,  emasculated  people — frightened  by  the  results  of  one 
battle,  and  scared  by  the  visions  raised  by  the  imagination  of  the 
senator  from  Kentucky  upon  this  floor.  No,  sir,  a  thousand  times 
no.  We  will  rally — if,  indeed,  our  words  be  necessary — we  will 
rally  the  people,  the  loyal  people  of  the  country.  They  will  pour 
fourth  their  treasures,  their  money,  their  men,  without  stint  and 
without  measure.  The  most  peaceful  man  in  this  body  will  stamp 
his  foot  upon  this  Senate  floor,  as  of  old  a  warrior  and  a  senator 
did,  and  from  that  single  stamp  there  will  spring  forth  armed 
legions.  Shall  one  battle,  or  a  dozen  battles,  determine  the  fate 
of  an  empire — the  loss  of  one  thousand  men  or  twenty  thousand 
men— the  expenditure  of  $100,000,000  or  $500,000,000!  In  a 
year  of  peace,  in  ten  years  at  most  of  peaceful  progress,  we  can 
restore  them  all. 

"There  will  be  some  graves  reeking  with  blood,  watered  by 
the  tears  of  affection.  There  will  be  some  privation;  there  will 
be  some  loss  of  luxury ;  there  will  be  somewhat  more  need  of  labor 
to  procure  the  necessaries  of  life.  When  this  is  said,  all  is  said. 
If  we  have  the  country,  the  whole  country,  the  Union,  the  Con- 
stitution, free  government — with  these  will  return  all  the  blessings, 
of  a  well-ordered  civilization.  The  path  of  the  country  will  be  a 
career  of  greatness  and  glory,  such,  as  in  the  olden  times,  our 
fathers  saw  in  the  dim  visions  of  years  yet  to  come,  and  such  as 
would  have  been  ours  today  had  it  not  been  for  that  treason  for 
which  the  senator  from  Kentucky  too  often  seeks  to  apologize." 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  eloquence  that  fell  from  the 
lips  of  E.  D.  Baker,  a  Springfield  lawyer  and  former  member  of 
Congress  from  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  this  great  crisis  in  the 
country's  history  he  spoke  the  true  sentiments  of  the  people  and 
truly  prophesied  the  future,  and  from  the  days  of  Baker  and 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  down  to  the  present  day,  Illinois  has  had 
in  its  Legislature,  at  its  bar,  and  on  the  public  rostrum  men  of 


72  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

extraordinary  eloquence  and  forensic  power.  During  this  year  I 
hope  some  student  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois  will  take  the 
trouble  to  collate  and  preserve  for  future  generations  some  of  the 
eloquence  of  Illinois'  many  gifted  orators. 

Today,  in  the  crisis  of  1917,  we  have  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  representing  this  great  State,  probably  one  of  the 
most  gifted  orators  of  our  day  and  age  in  the  person  of  Senator 
Lewis,  and  no  mean  rival  for  him  in  repartee  and  power  of  debate 
in  the  person  of  Senator  Sherman.  As  in  the  great  crisis  of  1861, 
we  had  the  tongues  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas  and  Baker  voicing  the 
sentiment  and  patriotism  of  the  State  and  nation,  so  in  this  great 
crisis  of  this  world-wide  war  we  have  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  expressing  its  patriotism  and  eloquence,  the  gifted  tongue 
of  Illinois'  incomparable  orator,  Senator  Lewis,  and  Illinois'  able 
debater,  Senator  Sherman.  Since  the  days  of  Douglas,  the  State 
of  Illinois  has  never  had  a  more  brilliant  orator  and  statesman 
in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  than  it  has  today  in  the  person 
of  James  Hamilton  Lewis. 

Between  the  names  of  Lincoln,  Douglas  and  Baker  down  to 
the  days  of  Lewis  and  Sherman,  I  find  on  the  roster  of  the  elo- 
quent men  which  Illinois  has  given  to  the  nation  and  the  world 
the  names  of  Robert  Gr.  Ingersoll,  that  master  of  pathos  and 
imagery,  the  trenchant  and  sparkling  Emory  Storrs,  the  argu- 
mentative and  persuasive  Leonard  Swett,  the  scholarly  and  classical 
Lyman  Trumbull,  the  firey  and  impetuous  James  Shields,  whose 
eloquence  and  brilliant  traits  of  character  made  him,  succesively. 
Auditor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  Brigadier-General  of  the  United  States  Army 
and  United  States  Senator  from  Illinois,  Minnesota  and  Missouri, 
and  who  has  attained,  since  his  death,  the  unique  distinction  of, 
having  three  separate  states  of  the  United  States  erect  monuments 
to  his  memory  within  each  of  said  states  and  in  the  capital  of  the 
United  States. 

Among  the  more  recent  orators  of  Illinois  have  been  the 
ornate  and  flowery  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  that  master  of  jury  elo- 
quence, W.  J.  Hynes,  the  impassioned  John  F.  Finerty,  the  stately 
and  logical  John  C.  Black,  that  wizard  of  the  banquet  board,  Wil- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  73 

liam  J.  Calhoun,  and  that  vigorous  tribune  of  the  people,  John  P. 
Altgeld;  and  probably  greater  than  all,  that  gifted  orator  who 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  the  little  village  of  Salem,  whose 
words,  eloquence  and  patriotism  have  rung  around  the  world, 
named  William  Jennings  Bryan,  the  great  master  of  Anglo-Saxon 
English,  whose  oratory  has  ever  appealed  and  ever  will  appeal  to 
the  conscience  and  the  intellect  of  the  world's  democracy. 

I  know  of  no  state  that  can  present  a  greater  roster  of  accom- 
plished orators  than  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  it  should  be  a  labor 
of  love  for  some  of  Illinois'  students  and  historians  to  compile 
and  preserve  for  posterity  some  of  the  brightest  oratorical  gems 
of  these  great  sons  of  Illinois.  The  eloquence  of  these  men  has 
done  much  to  shape  the  policies  and  guide  the  destinies  of  this 
great  State  and  nation,  and  to  stir  the  emotions  of  men  to  the 
accomplishment  of  great  achievements  in  history. 

For  the  honor  and  glory  of  the  State  the  best  that  has  fallen 
from  the  lips  of  its  orators  should  be  preserved  in  appropriate  and 
enduring  form  by  its  historians. 

The  orators  have  spoken  the  breathing,  burning  words  that 
inspired  their  fellow  men  to  act.  Let  the  historian  now  act  to 
perpetuate  these  words  of  eloquence  for  the  education  and  inspi- 
ration of  generations  yet  to  come. 


ILLINOIS  TODAY 

RICHARD   YATES,    GOVERNOR    OF    ILLHsTOIS,    1901-1905 

"Illinois  Today"  is  my  theme:  not  Illinois  of  yesterday  or 
tomorrow — but  Illinois  Today. 

I  reiterate  the  theme,  because  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  am 
fully  mindful  of  it,  inasmuch  as  you  may  possibly  think  I  wander 
somewhat  afield,  because  of  the  subdivision  of  the  subject  which 
I  am  unable  to  avoid. 

This  subdividing  seeming  to  me  inevitable,  I  am  going  to 
speak  to  you: 

First — Of  the  ties  which  our  history  binds  us  with,  to  the 
past  of  Illinois — a  record  which  we  cannot  ignore,  or  at  least, 
must  not  ignore,  because  if  we  do  ignore  it,  we  do  so  at  our  peril. 


74  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Second — Of  that  Illinois  which  our  fathers  hoped  we  would 
have. 

Third — Of  the  present  conditions  surrounding  our  State  and 
prevailing  in  it. 

A  sincere  intention  to  adhere  to  this  subdivision  does  not 
prevent  me  from  saying  a  certain  thing  to  this  audience.  This 
thing  I  must  say  because  I  would  be  unfair  with  the  audiecce 
if  I  were  to  omit  it.  I  have  not  the  heart  to  avoid  reference  to 
the  thing  that  is  uppermost  every  day  in  the  heart  of  ever}rone 
of  you — whether  the  day  be  the  birthday  of  Illinois  or  not. 

In  the  days  when  the  most  beautiful  building  in  all  the  World 
crowned  Mount  Moriah,  and  the  Presence  of  God  filled  that  far- 
famed  Temple,  into  that  awful  place  and  into  that  dreadful 
Presence  went  the  High  priest  of  the  Jews,  on  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment. He  went  in  to  propitiate  the  offended  Jehovah.  He  went 
in  to  offer  sacrifices  for  the  Sins  of  his  Nation.  He  went  in  to 
avert  the  just  resentment  of  the  Almighty.  In  the  way  God 
himself  had  appointed  this  Priest,  as  intercessor,  as  intermediator, 
as  advocate,  as  ambassador,  for  a  whole  race,  an  entire  People, 
made  an  unconditional  surrender  and  awaited  on  his  knees,  on 
his  face,  the  decision  to  be  given  by  the  Judge  of  all  Men.  You 
can  imagine  his  anxiety  to  return  to  the  outer  world  and  thus 
prove  to  the  people  that  they  were  a  forgiven  and  not  an  unforgiven 
nation.  And  you  can  imagine  those  waiting  people,  that  praying 
nation,  that  conscience-stricken  race,  standing  there — waiting, 
yearning,  eyes  not  one  instant  resting  upon  anything  else  but  the 
glittering  heights  almost  out-shining  the  sun  in  brightness.  You 
can  imagine  that  nation,  waiting  in  silence,  in  breathless  silence, 
until  they  could  learn  that  God  was  still  the  Forgiving  God — that 
the  favor  of  Heaven  had  not  been  withdrawn. 

There  was  a  way  by  which  they  could  tell.  If  the  High  Priest 
came  out  alive,  it  was  assumed  and  concluded  that  God  had  not 
withdrawn  his  favor,  that  forgiveness  had  once  again  been  vouch- 
safed to  the  nation.  And  they  could  tell  whether  he  would  prob- 
ably come  out  alive,  by  the  sound  of  certain  little  bells  worn  by 
the  High  Priest  upon  his  garment,  at  the  bottom  edge  of  his  blue 
robe,  the  "blue  ephod."  As  long  as  these  little  golden  bells,  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  75 

wearing  of  which  was  strictly  enjoined  by  the  Almighty  in  His 
instructions  given  to  Moses,  were  heard,  it  could  be  told,  that  the 
priest,  the  intercessor,  was  alive,  had  not  been  stricken  with  the 
wrath  of  God. 

All  through  the  past  months,  ever  since  the  declaration  of  war 
by  the  United  States,  I  have  felt  as  if  the  boys  "over  there"  were] 
our  representatives,  our  ambassadors,  our  hostages,  our  delegates, 
our  intercessors,  our  intermediaries,  our  high  priests,  in  a  most 
sacred  way,  in  a  most  sacred  time,  in  a  most  sacred  cause.  They 
have  looked  into  the  jaws  of  death.  They  have  looked  into  the 
mouth  of  hell.  They  have  looked  into  the  face  of  God.  We,  you 
and  I,  have  stood  aside  and  outside,  but  oh,  how  we  have  been 
interested — how  intensely,  how  breathlessly! 

When  at  last,  the  high  priest  of  old  came  forth  exalted  but 
almost  exhausted,  how  the  people  whispered,  "He  comes,  he  comes, 
oh,  he  comes."  N"ow  we  are  whispering  "He  comes,  yes  he  comes, 
our  boy  comes !" 

There  have  been  other  sacrifices.  One  day,  four  hundred 
years  before  Moses  and  Aaron,  the  moment  of  sacrifice  came  to 
Abraham.  It  is  recorded  "Abraham  went  unto  the  place  which 
God  had  told  him  of.  And  Abraham  built  an  altar  there  and  laid 
the  wood  in  order  and  bound  Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him  on  the 
altar  upon  the  wood.  And  Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand  and 
took  the  knife  to  slay  his  son.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called 
to  him  out  of  Heaven  and  said  'Abraham,  Abraham/  and  he  said, 
'Here  I  am.'  And  he  said  'Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad, 
neither  do  thou  say  anything  unto  him,  for  now  I  know  that  thou 
fearest  God,  seeing  thou  has  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son, 
from  me.' >: 

You  can  imagine  what  Abraham  meant,  when  he  said,  "Here 
am  I."  I  can  almost  see  Abraham  standing  there.  First,  there 
he  is  with  the  slight  form  of  his  young  son  in  his  arms.  He  has 
stooped  and  picked  him  up  in  his  fatherly  arms.  Then  he  has  laid 
him  down,  and  bound  him — with  his  own  loving  hands  and  arms, 
that  would  not  hurt  Isaac  for  anything  in  the  world,  for  all  the 
things  in  the  world.  Next,  he  looks  from  the  face  of  Isaac  to  the 
altar,  and  from  the  altar  up  to  God,  and  from  the  face  of  Isaac 


76  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

again  to  the  altar  and  again  to  God.  But  always  his  look  comes 
back  to  the  face  of  Isaac. 

At  last,  he  nerves  himself,  and  with  staggering  haste  for  fear 
he  may  yet  give  out,  he  places  Isaac  on  the  altar,  on  the  wood. 
Then  and  not  until  then,  comes  his  deliverance;  then  the  trial  of 
Abraham's  faith  is  over.  But  mark  you,  it  is  not  over  until  God 
can  say:  "Now  I  know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  that  thou 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  from  me." 

Just  so,  as  it  seems  to  me,  has  the  hour  of  sacrifice  come  to 
us,  the  American  people.  We  have  been  required  to  offer  all  that 
we  have  and  all  that  we  are,  and  all  that  we  ever  expect  to  be, 
upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice.  As  a  people  we  have  done  it.  And  I 
,can  almost  hear  the  angel  of  God  saying,  "Now  I  know  that  thou 
fearest  God."  The  Nation  has  withheld  nothing;  it  has  given  its 
sons,  and  daughters;  it  has  given  munitions,  and  shot  and  shell; 
it  has  given  ships  on  the  sea,  and  under  the  sea,  and  in  the  sky; 
it  has  poured  out  its  generous  billions  and  is  ready  to  pour  out 
billions  more,  every  billion  it  has.  And  now  the  hour  has  come 
when  God  is  satisfied,  and  America's  fidelity  to  the  principles  for 
which  the  great  Washington  warred  and  the  great  Lincoln  died, 
has  been  tested  and  tried  and  found  to  be  good  and  ample. 

Just  as  in  Abraham's  day,  Abraham's  faith  met  the  trial,  so 
in  America's  day,  America's  faith  has  met  the  trial  of  war.  And 
so  has  Illinois.  We  have  sent  250,000  boys,  a  quarter  of  a  million 
of  our  best,  flower  and  cream  of  our  youth;  and,  we  will  make  it  a 
million  if  our  country  needs  them. 

THE  PAST  OF  ILLINOIS 

There  is  one  room  in  my  home,  which,  in  a  certain  sense,  is 
haunted. 

It  is  hero-haunted. 

All  libraries,  great  or  small,  are  hero-haunted.  And  this 
small  library  of  mine,  is  no  exception. 

One  shelf  bears  only  books  and  pamphlets  and  addresses  made 
by  men  I  have  known,  personally,  in  the  flesh. 

But  oh,  there  are  other  shelves,  from  which  step  out,  the 
spirits  of  a  host,  a  shining,  splendid  host  of  men  and  women,  whom 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  77 

I,  perhaps  even  I,  in  my  humble  way,  may  call  my  friends,  because, 
like  true  and  tested  friends,  they  come,  at  a  moments  call,  to  help, 
to  console,  to  bring  a  good  heart  and  hope  for  the  world  that  is 
before  me. 

Last  night  and  this  very  morn,  as  I  have  been  penning  these 
lines,  and  sentences,  I  have  felt,  all  about  me,  the  friendliness  of 
these  friends  of  a  life  time;  for  they  are  friendly  spirits  who 
haunt  my  haunted  room. 

In  one  corner,  right  next  to  the  writings  of  greatest  antiquity, 
(the  Holy  Scriptures  of  course),  old  Aesop  stands,  with  his  Fable 
of  the  Old  Man  and  his  Sons,  in  which  the  old  man  with  his 
bundle  of  sticks  makes  it  plain  to  the  boys  that  "In  Union  there 
is  Strength."  And  Bunyan  is  there,  with  his  Christian  and  his 
Faithful,  his  Muckraker  and  the  Land  of  Beulah.  and  the  his- 
torians are  there ;  Old  Rollin,  with  Egypt  and  Babylon,  and  Gibbon 
with  Eome,  and  Guizot  with  France,  and  D'Aubigny  with  the 
Eeformation,  and  Carlyle  with  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  Prescott  with 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  and  Irving  with  Columbus,  and  Macauley 
with  England. 

And  another  stack  of  books  proclaims  the  presence  of  George 
Bancroft  with  Florida  and  the  Carribean  with  Virginia  and  the 
Cavaliers  with  New  England,  and  the  Puritans,  with  Lexington 
and  Concord  and  the  Midnight  Ride  of  Paul  Revere;  and  Weems 
is  here  with  his  "Washington,  and  here  are  the  Life  and  Works  of 
John  Adams  and  Alexander  Hamilton  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  and 
the  "American  Congress"  by  Thomas  H.  Benton,  and  by  James 
G.  Blaine,  and  "The  American  Statesmen,"  Patrick  Henry  and 
John  Marshall  and  Andrew  Jackson,  and  all  that  great  tribe, 
their  doughty  deeds  told  by  Von  Hoist  and  Lothrop  and  Schurz 
and  Roosevelt,  and  here  are  "The  American  Conflict"  by  Horace 
Greeley  and  "The  Civil  War"  by  Lossing,  and  the  Memoirs  of 
Sherman  and  Sheridan,  and  the  Letters  of  Grant  and  Lee,  and 
"Women's  Work  in  the  Civil  War,"  and  the  "Patriotism  of  Illi- 
nois." Oh,  what  a  glorious  roll ! 

But  I  love,  I  think,  above  all  others  about  a  hundred  volumes 
— for  my  library  is  pitifully  incomplete — referring  only  to  Illinois, 
and  its  men  and  women.  I  turn  most  often,  and  always  have 


78  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

turned  most  often,  to  the  shelves  given  over  to  Illinois.  I  am 
quite  sure  that  I  have  turned  thereto  not  only  most  often  but  most 
affectionately.  The  Illinois  by  Ford;  the  History  of  Illinois  by 
Mnian  W.  Edwards,  son  of  Ninian  Edwards;  Edward  Coles  by 
Washburne;  Eecollections  by  Chetlain;  the  Illinois  State  Sanitary 
Commission  by  John  Williams  and  Allen  C.  Fuller;  Illinois  by 
John  Moses  and  by  Grace  Humphrey,  and  Lincoln — The  Pioneei 
Boy,  by  Thayer;  Lincoln,  Lawyer,  by  Chief  Justice  Orrin  N. 
Carter.  Lincoln,  the  Christian,  by  Johnson;  The  True  Abraham 
Lincoln,  by  William  Eleroy  Curtis ;  Lincoln  and  Slavery,  by  Arnold ; 
Lincoln  Master  of  Men  by  Eothschild;  The  Illini  by  Clark 
E.  Carr,  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas  by  Clark  E.  Carr;  Lincoln  by 
Eaymond,  Lincoln  by  everybody.  And  "Abraham  Lincoln"  by 
Nicolay  and  Hay.  And  also  the  wonderful  addresses  at  the  annual 
banquets  of  the  Lincoln  Centennial  Association,  through  which 
Judge  Otis  Humphrey  has  done  more  than  any  other  man  of 
recent  years  to  revive  the  memory  of  Lincoln — Oh,  the  days  and 
hours  I  have  spent  with  these.  And  I  want  to  mention  especially 
the  personal  recollections  of  John  M.  Palmer,  Major  General, 
Governor  and  Senator. 

To  cap  and  crown  the  collection  of  Illinois  literature  (indis- 
pensable to  anything  like  a  satisfactory  understanding  of  Illinois 
history  and  achievements,  and  Illinois  ambitions  and  ideals) 
what  a  wonderful  thing  is  that  series  of  books  by  Buck  and  Sparks, 
and  Alvord  and  Greene,  and  Thompson  and  Scott,  and  James  and 
Carter  and  Pease,  called  "The  Illinois  Historical  Collections." 
And  scarcely  less  wonderful  are  the  things  entitled,  "Publications 
of  the  Historical  Library  of  Illinois"  and  "Transactions  of  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Society,"  for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
the  brilliant  daughter  of  General,  Governor  and  Senator  John  M. 
Palmer — Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber. 

By  these  fascinating  and  most  alluring  pages,  concerning  the 
fathers  of  our  fathers,  with  which  we  become  absolutely  infatuated, 
when  we  pour  over  them — we  are  bound  by  links  that  no  human 
hand  can  sever  to  the  men  and  women  of  1818  and  1861.  I  refer 
to  them  because  from  them  we  learn  the  thrilling  history,  and 
history  of  the  brave  deeds  done  by  brave  men,  and  the  sweet  lives 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  79 

led  by  sweet  women,  who  were  the  brave  fathers  and  the  sweet 
mothers  of  our  fathers  and  mothers.  From  them  we  take  increased 
devotion  to  the  causes  to  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of 
devotion.  And  the  history  which  embalms  the  story  of  Illinois, 
is  a  wealth  and  richness,  a  depth  and  wideness,  of  legend  and  of 
love,  if  the  agony  and  ecstacy  of  sacrifice  mean  anything.  It  is 
unrivalled  by  any  Saga  of  the  Northland,  any?  Odyssey  otf  the 
Greeks,  or  any  folk-song  of  the  far-off  and  fabulous  lands  where 
desert  sweep  or  mountain  height  has  exalted  the  souls  of  mystics 
to  conceptions  of  immortal  gods  and  sons  of  men,  so  fantastic,  as 
to  partake  of  the  shimmer  and  the  glimmer  of  the  poet's  dream. 

THE  ILLINOIS  WHICH  OUR  FATHERS  HOPED  WE  WOULD 
HAVE  TODAY 

It  follows,  that  you  will  understand  me,  (in  this  idea  of  mine, 
that  in  order  to  speak  rightly  of  Illinois  Today,  I  cannot  ignore 
the  fact  that  we  are  linked  by  binding  ties  to  the  past)  when  I 
speak  to  you  of  the  Illinois  which  our  fathers  hoped  we  would 
have  today. 

I  will  not  dwell  upon  the  Illinois  of  yesterday,  as  I  have  said, 
because  my  subject  debars  me  from  doing  that — whether  it  be  the 
Illinois  of  1818  or  the  Illinois  of  other  days  that  are  gone. 

But  I  am  not  debarred  from  recalling  or  quoting  the  standard 
which  our  fathers  set  up  for  us,  the  ideal  they  cherished  for  us, 
the  degree  of  perfection  which  they  prayed  and  warred  for,  and 
in  hope  of  which  they  died.  I  hold  in  my  hand  an  "Address  de- 
livered at  the  Exhibition  of  the  Junior  Class  of  Illinois  College 
at  Jacksonville,  on  Wednesday,  the  9th  of  April,  1834."  I  read 
four  paragraphs  of  that  address: 

"But  a  short  time  since,  and  the  spot  on  which  we  stand,  was 
the  lone  and  solitary  desert  where  the  untamed  herd  roamed  un- 
molested, and  nature,  in  undecorated  simplicity,  delighted  in  the 
undisturbed  solitude.  Here  the  chorus  of  the  hunter  and  the 
whistle  of  the  ploughman  were  unheard;  here  architecture  had 
reared  no  monuments  of  ceaseless  duration  or  blazing  glory,  no 
bright  and  towering  edifices  to  eclipse  contending  nature  of  her 


80  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

resplendent  lustre.  But  now,  how  changed  the  scene.  The  perse- 
vering arm  of  civilization  has  gone  into  the  'Far  West/  Here  a 
literary  institution  has  reared  its  towering  edifices,  not  far  awa}r, 
over  the  undulating  ridges  of  the  wide  extending  plain  stands  a 
beautiful  village,  variegated  with  its  lofty  buildings,  and  busy 
groups;  and  all  around,  fields  of  waving  green  conspire  to  adorn 
and  beautify  the  splendid  scenery.  Now  the  bellowing  of  the 
distant  steamboat  as  she  ploughs  her  way  in  mighty  majesty  along 
our  far-famed  Mississippi,  our  smooth,  gentle  and  unruffled  Illi- 
nois, tells  us  that  there  is  a  spirit  in  this  land  which  will  not 
slumber  until  every  spot  of  these  now  solitary  prairies  shall  bear 
the  mark  of  cultivation,  and  every  herb  of  grass  indicate  t(he 
presence  of  the  farmer. 

"A  boundless  field  for  future  attainment  is  laid  open  before 
the  western  youth — a  field  for  enterprise,  for  industry,  for  benevo- 
lence and  for  patriotism,  with  either  of  which  he  may  connect  his 
future  destiny;  or,  in  other  words,  a  beautiful  landscape  is  spread 
out  before  him,  filled  with  all  the  enticements  to  honor  and  use- 
fulness, which  can  charm  and  attract  the  attention  of  the  youthful 
mind.  Our  territory  is  abundant  in  resources,  intersected  by  large 
and  noble  rivers,  possessing  a  soil  unrivalled  in  fertility,  having 
pre-eminent  advantages  in  commerce  and  agriculture;  or,  in  a 
word,  it  is  a  country  amply  fitted  and  suitably  adapted  to  satisfy 
the  wants,  promote  the  comfort,  and  advance  the  interests  of 
civilized  men. 

"But  these  great  natural  advantages  and  these  anticipated 
Elisia  of  Glory  will  prove  to  be  but  phantoms  if  they  are  not 
under  the  direction  of  enterprising,  intelligent  and  benevolent 
men. 

"Are  the  rising  generation  prepared,  as  their  fathers,  in 
obedience  to  the  general  laws  of  nature,  step  off  the  stage  of 
human  action,  to  take  this  priceless  inheritance  into  their  hands, 
to  roll  onward  the  wheels  of  civil  government,  to  corroborate  the 
interests  of  their  State,  and  to  concentrate  all  their  efforts  to  bear 
upon  her  glory?  Are  they  prepared  to  guide  the  Ship  of  State 
if  necessary,  safely  through  the  storms  and  tempests  of  civil  com- 
motion, over  the  boisterous  waves  of  party  malignity,  to  check  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  81 

prodigality  and  licentiousness  of  the  press,  to  disconcert  faction,  to 
expose  conspiracy,  to  demolish  the  bulwarks  of  vice  and  immorality, 
or  to  reprobate  every  other  attempt  to  disturb  the  general  quiet,  or 
to  impair  our  liberties?  Or,  (listen  to  this)  if  the  countletes 
legions  of  some  foreign  despot  should  invade  our  borders  and 
overrun  our  land,  could  they,  amid  such  a  calamity,  bear  the 
Republic  safely  through  to  victory  and  to  triumph? 

"Shall  not  Illinois  have  her  historians,  who  shall  record  the 
valor  and  achievement  of  her  sons  ?  Her  poets,  who  shall  sing  the 
glory,  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  West  ?  Her  orators  whose  magic 
voice  would  move  and  electrify  the  nation  ?  We  are  led  to  inquire 
who  knows  but  that  there  may  be  among  them  some  Clay,  before 
whose  mighty  genius  the  mists  of  delusion  have  fled  with  terrific 
haste,  some  Washington  in  whose  breast  the  destinies  of  nations 
might  be  dormant,  some  Milton  'pregnant  with  celestial  fire/  some 
Curran  who  when  thrones  were  crumbling  and  dynasties  forgotten, 
might  'stand  the  landwark  of  his  country's  genius/  a  mental 
pyramid  in  the  solitude  of  time,  round  whose  summit  eternity  must 
play.  We  live  in  a  State  which  must  excite  a  spirit  of  restless 
unsatisfied  perseverance,  engender  the  liveliest  emotions,  and 
enkindle  the  most  glorious  anticipations.  We  behold  the  dawn  of 
that  day  when  an  almost  countless  population  will  overspread  our 
prairies.  Youth  of  Illinois,  do  you  wish  that  your  posterity  shall 
look  back  upon  the  present  era  with  admiration,  as  the  founders 
of  that  glory  destined  to  encircle  our  beloved  State  ?  Do  you  wish 
to  add  another  strong  link  to  this  grand  confederation — to  promote 
the  cause  of  human  liberty,  and  universal  emancipation  from  the 
shackles  of  depotism,  do  you  wish  to  see  (through  your  undying 
example)  the  standard  of  Liberty  planted  upon  every  shore? 

"Then  act  worthy  of  our  high  vocation." 

These  paragraphs  were  written  and  declaimed  in  1834,  only 
16  years  after  our  State  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  and  they  were 
written  by  an  Illinois  boy  of  19. 

And  this  Illinois  boy  was  my  father. 

These  words  show  what  high  hopes  our  fathers  had  of  and 
for  Illinois.  Even  as  I  read  them  I  seem  to  hear  the  song  of  the 
— 6  C  C 


82  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

hammer  on  the  anvil  of  Illinois  industry,  the  song  of  the  bell  in 
the  belfry  of  the  Illinois  church  and  school,  and  the  clash  of  arms 
and  roar  of  artillery  in  the  days  when  Illinois  went  forth  in  its 
war-times. 

You  may  call  this  sophmorical  if  you  like.  But  when  I  first 
read  it,  it  reminded  me  of  the  splendid  story  of  how,  when  Elisha, 
the  prophet,  told  the  young  man  who  longed  for  help  to  look  up 
and  lift  his  eyes,  the  young  man  saw  that,  "All  the  mountain  was 
full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire." 

You  have  here  the  standard.  And  I  am  quite  sure  that  words 
would  fail  me  if  I  should  attempt  to  undertake  to  improve  upon 
this  expression  in  any  expression  on  my  part  of  what  Illinois  must 
be  and  do  in  this  now  present  day  in  order  to  be  worthy.  Every 
word  of  the  school  boy  address  could  well  be  addressed  today  to  the 
youth  of  Illinois.  Here  is  the  standard.  Our  fathers  looked  for- 
ward and  they  pointed  forward.  And  Illinois  is  keeping  the  faith. 
The  fathers  having  brawn  asked  us  to  add  brain  and  bravery.  The 
thing  has  been  done.  The  educated  State  with  knowledge  and 
science  has  duly  appeared  in  the  fulness  of  time.  Today  it  faces 
the  test  of  all  its  brawn  and  all  its  brain  and  all  its  bravery. 

My  Idea  of  what  Illinois  ought  to  be  I  get,  I  think,  from 
my  father  and  my  mother. 

My  conceptions  of  the  possibilities  and  opportunities  of  Illi- 
nois, I  derive,  I  think,  from  my  father  and  my  mother.  From 
them  I  get  the  realizing  sense  of  the  obligation  today  resting  upon 
Illinois  in  view  of  the  opportunity  which  has  been  devised  to  it, 
to  us,  as  a  precious  privilege,  as  an  invaluable  inheritance,  by  the 
men  and  women  of  Illinois,  who  have  passed  this  way  before.  Per- 
haps it  will  better  express  and  convey  my  meaning  if  I  say,  I 
derive  my  conception  of  what  Illinois  ought  to  be — or  at  least  a 
large  part  of  that  conception — from  two  scenes  in  the  life  of  my 
father,  in  both  of  which  my  mother  was  an  important  actor  or 
co-worker. 

The  time  of  one  of  these  scenes  is  1868,  the  year  of  the  other 
is  1863.  The  one  I  witnessed  with  my  own  eyes,  the  otber  I  saw 
through  the  eyes  of  my  mother,  as  she  told  me  the  tale  over  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  83 

pale  face  of  my  father,  as  he  lay  in  his  manly  beauty  the  day 
before  his  burial. 

The  scene  of  1868  brings  up  before  me  the  Impeachment 
Trial  (in  the  Senate  at  Washington),  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  Andrew  Johnson — a  scene  imprinted  forever  on  my 
memory,  because  I  saw  it,  a  hundred  times,  myself,  when  a  boy  at 
the  age  of  eight. 

The  other  scene  (of  1863)  blazes  before  me,  even  as  if  it 
were  yesterday,  because  in  it  my  mother  told  me  how  my  father 
in  a  great  fervor  and  frenzy  of  feeling,  depicted  and  enacted, 
before  her,  his  own  experience,  of  holding  in  his  arms  the  dying 
"Boy  in  Blue"  direct  from  the  field  of  battle,  while  that  boy  with 
fast  failing  breath,  faltered  out  his  last  message  for  the  dear  ones 
at  home. 

In  the  year  1868,  my  father  wrote  to  my  mother  a  pathetic 
letter,  in  which  he  said,  calling  her  "Kate"  (the  name  he  always 
used)  "The  impeachment  trial  of  the  President,  Andrew  Johnson, 
is  coming  on  before  the  Senate,  and  it  will  last  a  hundred  days, 
in  the  awful  climate  of  Washington;  you  know  of  my  illness,  and 
so  do  our  enemies,  and  they  will  unhorse  me,  or  any  other  loyal 
Senator,  if  they  can,  and  they  will  keep  me  out  of  my  seat  in  the 
Senate  by  any  trick  within  their  power;  but  if  you  will  come  on, 
and  sit  every  day  in  the  north  Senate  gallery,  I  know  I  can  en- 
dure." And  then  he  added,  "P.  S.,  bring  the  boy;"  and  I  was 
the  boy. 

Now,  my  mother  was  a  fragile  little  body,  who  looked  like  a 
little  flower,  which  would  just  fold  up  and  blow  away;  but  be  not 
deceived;  you  never  can  tell  about  the  American  woman — and,  as 
fast  as  steam  and  train  could  carry  her,  she  struck  for  Washing- 
ton. I  have  often  thought  of  it.  Andrew  Johnson,  did  not  know 
she  was  coming,  the  Senate  didn't  know  it,  no  one  knew  it  except 
one  anxious  soul,  one  American  Senator,  stalwart  and  radical, 
but  awaiting  the  arrival  of  that  train,  as  if  it  bore  the  most  valor- 
ous, reenforcement  ever  borne  onward  to  field  of  battle — and  she 
WAS  a  valorous  reenforcement. 

I  will  never  forget  the  day  when  she  came  down  the  steep 
stairs  of  the  north  Senate  gallery,  and  took  her  seat  in  the  front 


84 

row;  a  Senator  of  the  United  States  stood  right  up  at  his  seat 
and  took  out  his  handkerchief  and  waved  it  at  her  and  saluted  her 
as  royally  as  if  she  were  an  Empress  of  old  taking  her  seat  in  the 
coliseum  or  other  arena  of  Rome  in  her  glory. 

When  the  early  and  primitive  Christians  sought  for  a  word 
with  which  to  name  their  most  sacred  ordinance  of  religion,  they 
took  the  Roman  word  "Sacramentum"  because  in  all  the  world 
there  was  nothing  so  solemn,  nothing  so  sacredly  kept,  as  the  oath 
taken  by  the  Roman  Soldier,  and  that  oath  was  called  "Sacra- 
mentum/' And  whenever  I  go  to  Washington,  I  go  for  a  moment 
and  sit  in  my  mother's  seat  in  the  north  Senate  gallery,  and  I  say 
to  myself,  "Sacramentum,  Sacramentum;  Holy  Ground,  Holy 
Ground/'  for  there  my  mother  sacrificed  herself  for  her  country, 
as  surely  as  any  soldier  ever  did  on  any  other  field  of  fire;  for 
she  was  never  well  afterward,  though  she  lived  through  forty 
years  of  suffering. 

She  would  sometimes  say  to  me,  "Son,  if  you  will  look  for- 
ward a  little,  I  will  show  you  a  great  Senator/'  and  she  would 
point  out  old  Ben  Wade  of  Ohio,  or  Oliver  P.  Morton  of  Indiana, 
or  Reverdy  Johnson  of  Maryland,  or  Charles  Sumner  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Why,  I  can  see  them  yet;  they  had  great  big  heads 
and  great  big  bodies  too;  and  they  moved  with  conscious  power; 
and  they,  in  that  far  off  day,  gave  me  an  idea  of  what  an  Ameri- 
can statesman  ought  to  be,  which  thank  God,  has  never  departed 
from  me. 

Well  she  is  in  another  gallery  tonight,  possibly  looking  down 
at  us,  as  I  love  to  believe  all  those  great  patriots,  those  magnificent 
Americans,  are  looking  down,  these  days,  from  heaven's  ramparts. 
And  I  feel  like  saying,  "If  you  will  lean  forward  a  little,  mother, 
you  will  see  that  we  are  worthy  (or  at  least  straining  every  nerve 
to  be  worthy)  of  the  sacrifices  of  the  past." 

Our  fathers'  fathers,  and  our  mothers'  mothers — we  cannot 
ignore  them  today.  My  father  was  born  in  Kentucky.  So  was 
my  mother — in  Lexington,  the  hub  of  the  famous  blue  grass  region. 
The  parents  of  both  of  them  were  born  in  Virginia.  My  father's 
father  was  born  in  Old  Caroline  County,  Virginia,  "In  the  forks 
of  the  Mattaponisah."  In  1809  (108  years  ago)  he  took  his  young 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  85 

wife  the  sweet  Milicent  Yates  and  put  her  on  the  pillion  behind 
him  and  rode,  horseback,  through  the  Cumberland  Gap  in  Ken- 
tucky, when  Kentucky  was  the  dark  and  bloody  ground,  head 
erect,  eye  alight,  soul  aloft,  fearing  neither  God,  man  or  devil; — 
well,  fearing  God — but  not  afraid  of  any  mortal  man  that  walked 
this  old  world  of  ours.  Fearless,  thank  God;  yea,  not  afraid. 
Yet;  let  us  be  frank  about  this.  The  pioneers  were  raised  up  for 
their  time.  They  were  the  men  for  that  time.  Their  efforts  were 
prodigious,  their  journey  ings  were  almost  endless,  their  hardships 
and  privations  were  terrible  things  for  men  and  women  and  little 
children  to  face.  They  knew  the  rifle,  the  ax,  and  the  saddle  bag, 
they  knew  the  cabin  of  logs  without  a  floor.  My  father  was  born 
in  such  a  cabin.  But  they  did  not  prefer  these  things.  They  did 
not  like  them.  There  was  no  magic  about  these  things,  and  no 
magic  appeal.  They  got  away  from  them,  gladly,  just  as  fast  and 
as  far  as  they  could.  George  Washington  loved  beautiful  Mount 
Vernon.  He  did  not  remain  wedded  to  any  log  cabin. 

Thomas  Jefferson  and  Andrew  Jackson  may  have  known  the 
log  cabin,  but  they  were  glad  to  discard  it  and  to  erect  stately 
"Monticello"  and  "The  Hermitage."  Our  fathers'  fathers  who 
lived  outside  Illinois  and  came  into  it — they  did  not  plan  or  wish 
a  state  composed  of  rifle,  ax  and  saddle  bag,  or  cabin  of  logs. 
They  had  higher  aspirations.  They  wished  and  planned  to  put 
aside  ax  work  and  promote  head  work.  And  so  they  sent  their 
sons  to  college.  And  they  did  well.  They  builded  better  than 
they  knew.  For  while  it  may  be  true,  that  the  city  bred  man  of 
today  would  have  starved  to  death  had  he  tried  to  make  a  living 
in  the  environment  only  of  the  rifle,  ax,  and  saddle  bags,  it  is  also 
true  that  the  ax  man  would  perish  today  quickly  if  he  had  to  face 
a  modern  army.  Why,  even  the  farmer  farms  by  machinery  today, 
and  the  wars  of  today  are  not  to  be  won  by  frontiersmen  or  by 
pioneer  weapons  but  by  arithmetic,  by  trigonometry,  by  logarithms, 
by  differential  calculus,  by  artillery  trajectories,  and  by  the  con- 
quest of  the  air  together  with  the  navigation  of  the  submarine 
depth.  With  his  level  head  the  man  of  1818  knew  this;  and  he 
taught  his  sons,  our  fathers,  a  reverence  and  deference  for  knowl- 
edge and  science  which  caused  our  fathers  (our  immediate  fathers) 


86  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

to  adopt  a  standard  and  a  stature  for  us  to  come  up  to  as  much 
superior  to  the  log  cabin  life  as  the  large  modern  dwellings  in  your 
neighborhood,  are  superior  to  the  log  cabin  in  which  my  father 
was  born  in  Kentucky. 

PRESENT    CONDITION    IN    ILLINOIS 

Not  many  words  are  required  (and  you  will  be  glad,  I  am 
sure) — not  many  words  are  required  to  describe  Illinois  today. 

Today  Illinois  has  a  greatness  in  commerce,  in  industry,  in 
finance;  a  greatness  in  agriculture,  in  mining,  in  manufacturing; 
a  greatness  in  transportation;  a  greatness  in  education,  in  educa- 
tional institutions  and  pursuits ;  a  greatness  in  journalism,  and  law 
and  medicine,  and  professional  endeavor;  and  there  is  a  greatness 
in  the  sciences  and  the  arts  and  a  world  of  effort  by  inventors; 
and  in  generosity  and  benevolence  and  philanthrophy  there  is 
another  greatness;  and  there  is  a  greatness  and  glory  in  religion 
worthy  of  all  praise;  never  before  in  history  has  there  been  so 
much  of  charity  and  good  will,  never  so  much  of  the  milk  of 
human  kindness,  and  never  so  much  of  the  love  of  God  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  as  at  present,  all  over  Illinois.  All  of  these 
various  greatness  are  and  should  be  a  source,  to  all  of  us,  of  heart- 
felt pride. 

But  the  one  overwhelming,  overtowering,  overpowering  con- 
dition of  Illinois  today,  the  one  thing,  characteristic  and  per- 
meative  of  Illinois  today,  as  never  before,  is  that  Illinois  is  at 
war;  terribly  at  war.  Our  hearts  are  in  Camp  Grant,  in  Camp 
Dodge,  in  Camp  Pike,  in  Camp  Logan  and  in  Camp  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  with  our  sons  of  Illinois  in  France,  and  on  the  ocean. 

The  kid  has  gone  to  the  colors, 

And  we  don't  know  what  to  say, 
The  boy  that  we  loved  and  cuddled 

Stands  up  for  the  flag  today. 

The  kid  not  being  a  slacker, 

Stood  forth  with  patriot  joy 
To  add  his  name  to  the  roster, 

And  oh,  God,  we're  proud  of  our  boy. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  87 

We  stand  at  the  opening,  the  threshold  of  an  appalling  era 
of  sacrifice,  as  grave  as  that  when  Abraham  "Took  the  wood  and 
put  it  on  the  altar  and  bound  Isaac  and  put  him  on  the  altar  on 
the  wood."  When  God  can  say  to  America  "Now  I  know  that 
thou  fearest  God,  seeing  that  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine 
only  son,  from  me" — then  and  not  till  then,  will  our  sacrifice  cease. 
We  must  not  murmur  or  complain.  All  human  progress  has  been 
won  only  through  human  agony.  A  million  men  have  died  in 
America  that  Liberty  might  live.  A  million  American  women 
have  agonized  that  American  freedom  might  not  die.  Who  are 
we  that  we  should  escape  or  be  immune  ? 

I  believe  that  the  hand  of  God,  the  Divine  Hand,  is  in  all 
this  terrible  trial  of  America  and  of  Illinois;  that  for  His  own 
purpose  He  determined  that  the  world,  the  whole  world,  should 
not  be  energized  and  spiritualized  by  the  agony  and  ecstacy  of 
the  sacrifice  of  war,  with  America  left  out. 

The  veritable  miracle  at  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  which  one 
day  saw  two  million  men  marching  on  Paris,  so  that  a  War  Lord, 
with  helmet  of  silver  on  his  head  and  cape  of  velvet  on  his  should- 
ers, might  ride  through  and  under  the  Arch  of  Napoleon,  as  con- 
queror of  the  world,  and  next  day  saw  that  whole  two  million  in 
full  retreat,  rushing  northward  almost  in  panic — what  are  we  to 
infer  from  that  ? 

We  know  what  the  consequences  would  have  been,  if  the  War 
Lord  had  won.  France  would  have  been  on  her  knees;  England 
would  have  come  to  her  knees;  then  the  British  Navy  would  have- 
been  exacted  as  an  indemnity;  then  the  German  and  French  navies, 
added,  then  westward  to  American  shores.  Then  the  weak  Ameri- 
can Navy  would  have  been  wiped  out;  then  the  coast  cities 
would  have  been  bombarded;  then  the  foreign  hosts  would  have 
landed;  then  the  little  American  Army  of  75,000  regulars  and 
225,000  National  Guard  would  have  been  annihilated.  Then  Con- 
gress would  have  retired  from  Washington  to  Chicago,  to  Omaha 
to  Denver;  then  a  crowned  king  would  have  marched  up  Broad- 
way in  New  York,  and  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue  in  Washington; 
and  a  humiliating  peace  would  have  resulted,  and  America  would 
have  had  to  pay  an  indemnity  of  one-half  of  all  our  possessions. 


88  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

or  face  the  muzzles  of  the  firing  squad.  And  life  would  not  have 
been  worth  living;  aud  the  daughters  of  America  would  have 
been  the  slaves  of  a  conquering  soldiery,  drunken  with  victory. 

From  all  this  we  were  saved,  for  some  reason — because,  so 
far  as  our  finite  vision  can  see,  generals  of  distinction  of  ability, 
and  of  experience,  made  mistakes,  unaccountable,  I  believe  that 
tide  of  conquest  was  stopped  as  it  was  and  when  it  was,  in  order 
that  America,  including  Illinois,  might  have  its  part  in  the  energ- 
izing and  spiritualizing  which  comes  with  sacrifice. 

If  this  is  true,  then  Illinois  today,  faces  the  obligation  and 
opportunity  of  all  its  existence ;  and  it  will  be  worthy  of  it,  worthy 
of  the  history  of  glory  which  it  enjoys,  worthy  of  the  high  hopes 
our  fathers  cherished,  and  we  can  leave  here  tonight  singing  and 
believing : 

Then  conquer  we  must, 

For  our  cause  it  is  just 
And  this  be  our  motto 
In  God  is  our  trust. 

Let  us  be  not  deceived;  the  Illinois  of  today  has  a  hard  task 
set  before  it,  to  equal  the  patriotism  of  the  Illinois  of  the  olden 
day. 

Do  you  know  what  Illinois  must  do  to  equal  their  givings 
and  offerings?  Take  the  one  item  of  men  alone — 

In  the  four  years,  1861-2-3-4  Illinois  gave  259,000  men,  to 
the  army  and  navy — a  quarter  of  a  million,  plus  nine  thousand; 
the  population  of  Illinois  was  then  1,700,000 — about  one  and  three 
quarters  millions ;  so  that  one  man  was  given  for  every  sixth  of  the 
population. 

On  the  same  basis,  Illinois,  with  its  present  population  of 
between  six  and  seven  millions,  must  furnish  one  million  men, 
before  it  can  equal  the  offering  of  our  fathers,  to  the  army  and  the 
navy,  in  the  glorious  days,  the  great  days  the  great  and  glorious 
days  of  Illinois. 

Can  it  be  done?     God  helping  us,  it  can  be  done. 

But,  when  victory  shall  have  come  and  the  American  millions 
shall  have  come  home,  will  no  problem  be  left?  When  Kaiserism 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  89 

shall  be  no  more,  what  about  Bolshevism?  Kaiserism  inspired 
and  instigated  anarchy  in  Eussia,  and  it  yet  remains  there,  and 
will  remain  there,  until  by  the  aid  of  American  bayonets  disorder 
is  ended  and  order  is  restored.  Bolshevism  is  not  better  than 
Kaiserism.  It  has  the  same  hellish  origin.  It  is  autocracy- 
brutal,  cowardly,  autocracy.  It  is  brutal,  bloody,  tyranny.  Its 
leaders  in  Eussia  have  been  murderers.  If  it  gets  over  here,  it 
will  murder,  burn  and  torture  here,  as  in  Eussia.  It  paraded  its 
red  flags  in  the  hands  of  a  lot  of  fools  in  New  York  the  other  day. 
Thank  God,  its  flags  were  torn  to  tatters  by  American  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  happened  to  see  them.  It  will  parade  them  in 
Illinois,  in  Chicago,  aye  in  Springfield,  some  day,  unless  we  show 
and  prove  now  that  we  will  not  tolerate  autocracy  in  any  form, 
for  one  moment,  whether  it  comes  as  Kaiserism  or  whether  it 
comes  as  Bolshevism,  whether  it  comes  as  tyranny  or  whether  it 
comes  as  anarchy,  whether  it  comes,  attacking  with  poison  gas,  or 
whether  it  comes  with  the  red  flag  and  torch. 

In  this  hour  of  crisis  and  of  new  danger  and  new  trial,  in 
this  moment  when  artful,  scheming,  cruel,  brutal,  cold,  calculating 
demagogues  and  agitators  (are  equipped),  God  knows  how  or 
whence,  with  money  and  plenty  and  some  support  from  parlor 
anarchists  in  high  degree  and  position),  can  we  depend  upon  the 
men  and  women  of  America  to  aid  and  help  utterly  regardless  of 
all  its  costs,  the  eternal  right,  to  the  end  that  we  may  not  have 
driven  .out  the  Kaiser  and  yet  be  overcome  by  Kaiserism,  after  all  ? 

But  my  fellow  citizens,  I  appeal  to  you  as  Illinoisans,  to  serve 
the  State  as  never  before. 

Fellow  citizens,  who  would  not  be  proud  to  serve  Illinois? 
Illinois  exceeds  a  majestic  empire  in  size.  Illinois  exceeds  a  royal 
realm  in  resources.  Illinois  is  the  queen  of  all  the  prairie  states, 
and  richer  and  fairer  than  any  monarch  or  potentate  could  possibly 
be.  Yet  it  harbors  no  aristocracy,  no  oligarchy,  no  militarism,  no 
imperialism — simply  enlightened  liberty.  Illinois  is  a  republic 
of  itself.  It  has  both  prospects  of  renown  and  a  history  of  glory. 

Two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  thousand  lusty  and  loyal  men  it 
sent  forth  fifty-five  years  ago,  to  do  battle  and  to  dare,  and  if 
need  be,  die,  for  "Union  and  Liberty,  for  you  and  for  me,  for 


90  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

posterity  and  the  eternal  right.  To  the  State  Penitentiary  it  in 
later  days  sent  the  violators  of  the  sacred  laws  of  suffrage,  to  the 
end  that  political  rights  might  be  preserved  inviolate.  To  the 
sanctity  of  the  suffrage,  to  the  honesty  of  municipal  government, 
the  upbuilding  of  American  nationality  the  mighty  State  stands 
pledged  today. 

Great  in  its  domain;  great  in  its  citizenship;  great  in  its 
intelligence;  great  in  its  liberty;  great  in  its  benevolence;  great 
in  its  energy ;  great  in  all  its  capabilities ;  great  in  both  its  strength 
and  its  beauty — Illinois  is  worthy  the  devotion  of  any  man,  or  any 
people;  worthy  of  your  undying  affection,  and  of  mine. 

Ah,  Illinois!  It  is  my  birthplace  and  my  home,  and  the 
home  of  my  mother,  and  my  wife  and  my  little  ones,  and  I  love 
it  well.  As  I  look  into  your  earnest  eyes,  men  of  Illinois,  I  see  that 
you,  all  of  you,  love  it  well  too,  and  because  we  love  it  so  well  we 
want  it  guided  wisely  and  well. 

I  have  a  serene  and  implicit  faith,  that  we  will  be  guided 
aright,  because  I  believe  that  our  guide  has  been  God.  Having 
been  our  guide,  He  will  not  forsake  us  now,  not  forsake  Illinois 
today,  not  forsake  us  in  the  appalling  future.  I  believe  that  this 
Nation,  of  ours,  is  divinely  ordained ;  that  the  Almighty,  Himself, 
just  kept  that  curtain  of  water  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  right  down,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  this  continent,  until  the  prow  of  Columbus 
parted  the  waters  of  this  Western  Hemisphere,  for  the  mighty 
purpose ;  and  that  that  purpose  was  to  establish,  and  maintain,  yea, 
to  establish,  yea,  to  maintain,  utterly  regardless  of  what  it  cost, 
yea,  utterly  regardless  of  what  it  cost  in  men  or  in  money,  in 
treasure,  in  time,  in  terror,  in  tears  or  in  blood,  this  mighty 
Republic,  our  mighty  and  model  Eepublic,  with  cornerstones  of 
Freedom,  with  foundations  cemented  by  the  shed  blood  of  fore- 
fathers, in  order  that,  in  hours  of  peril  to  the  suffering  human 
race,  this  mighty  and  model  Republic,  your  country  and  mine, 
might  be  not  only  the  heir  of  ages  and  the  child  of  the  centuries, 
but  the  beacon  light  of  Liberty  and  the  last  hope  of  humanity,  as 
it  undoubtedly,  praise  be  to  God,  is  today.  And  so  believing,  I 
rejoice  that  I  can  (as  I  do)  further  believe,  that  Illinois,  which  is, 
already,  more  than  one-fifteenth  in  population,  of  this  mighty  last 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  91 

hope  of  humanity,  will  grow  and  grow  and  grow,  until  it  will  be 
much  more  than  one-tenth,  over  one-tenth  in  wealth  and  in  courage, 
in  resources  and  in  high  resolve — more  than  one-tenth  of  the 
American  Republic,  the  stone  that  the  continental  builders  re- 
jected, the  mightiest  agency  ever  ordained  by  Providence,  for  the 
welfare  of  humanity  since  the  Savior  walked  among  the  sons  of 
men.  HAIL,  HAIL,  ILLINOIS ! 

ILLINOIS  AND  THE  WAR 
WALLACE  RICE 

Illinois  commands  us,  her  loyal  children, 
Here  to  meet  tonight  in  new  consecration, 
Crossing  with  her  over  the  troubled  threshhold 
Of  a  new  era. 

Jewel-bright  her  story,  and  proud  her  people 
Gathered  here  recounting  her  past  achievement; 
While  the  blare  of  bugles  and  tramp  of  war-hosts 
Call  to  new  duties. 

Born  was  she  in  warfare,  and  her  forthcoming 
Red  with  tales  of  battle  along  these  prairies: 
First  of  settlers  here  was  the  iron-handed 
Henry  de  Tonty. 

Joliet,  LaSalle,  Pere  Marquette  the  pious, 
Prophets  and  adventurers,  brought  the  ensign 
France  sent  westward  floating  above  our  rivers — 
These  our  beginnings. 

Britain's  flag  awhile  on  our  ramparts  fluttered; 
Till  Virginia  came,  and  the  Starry  Banner 
Rose  in  splendor  never  to  be  supplanted, 
Emblem  of  freemen. 

Illinois,  through  Clark  and  his  fearless  Long  Knives, 
Gave  the  Nation,  first  of  her  gifts,  the  empire 
Of  the  broad  Northwest,  to  preserve  and  cherish 
Freedom  for  ever. 


92  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Soon  upon  the  Mag  was  our  Star  of  Statehood 

Brightly  placed,  the  better  to  hold  the  Union 

One  throughout  the  years.    How  we  have  repaid  this, 

History  blazons. 

First  in  Mexico,  when  at  Buena  Vista 
Gallant  Hardin  perished,  on  to  the  City 
Marching  up  with  Scott,  never  once  defeated 

Illinois  battles. 

Eose  the  Great  Revolt.     Did  our  Douglas  falter? 
At  the  call  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
Fighting  men  go  forth.     Ours  their  chosen  leader, 

Grant  the  undaunted. 

Ours  that  Man  of  men,  more  than  peer  of  princes, 
Humble-hearted,  yet  honoring  man  and  woman 
More  than  any  crown,  the  Emancipator 

Abraham  Lincoln. 

Peace  ensues,  and  here  from  our  golden  cornfields 
And  rich  mines  beneath  are  afforded  treasure, 
Wealth  beyond  our  dreams,  with  the  whirring  work-shops 

Adding  new  treasure. 

Beauty,  too,  is  ours;  glowing  arts  and  letters; 
Science  sound  and  deep;  law  to  help  the  helpless; 
While  Eeligion  builds  templed  shrines,  high  altars 

Free  as  the  sunlight. 

Peace  becomes  our  faith  and  our  fond  conviction. 
On  a  sudden  Europe,  in  flame  enveloped, 
Startles  us  from  dreaming.     We  see  in  horror 

Arson  and  murder.  « 

Busy  at  our  doors,  as  the  desperate  conflict 
'Twixt  a  right  divine  held  by  sceptered  despots 
And  a  government  for  and  by  the  people 

Bocks  land  and  ocean. 

Vain  our  hope  for  peace;  and  our  old  flags  beckon  us: 
France,  who  gave  us  being,  and  Greater  Britain, 
Tonty's  home,  fair  Italy,  •  Freedom's  offspring, 

Roll  out  their  drumbeats. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  93 

And  we  rush  to  arms.     Hear  the  trumpets  blaring! 
On  our  sacred  soil  see  our  brave  young  warriors, 
Youth  in  blue  or  khaki,  our  sons  and  brothers, 

Haste  to  the  Colors! 
Illinois  renews  now  the  fine  old  pledges 
Given  at  her  birth  and  redeemed  so  proudly; 
Illinois  once  more  gives  with  solemn  gladness 

Her  best  and  noblest. 

How  can  she  do  less,  she  who  ended  slavery 
In  its  age-old  form,  now  that  new  enslavement 
Threatens  at  her  gates?    Hear  our  fathers  cheering, 

Liberty !    Union ! 

Liberty  for  all,  great  or  little  peoples — 
This  our  mighty  task,  this  our  sacred  duty ; 
Never  peace  until  mankind  in  union 

Dominates  bloodshed. 
God  of  Liberty,  Illinois  is  praying, 
Not  for  glory  or  gratified  ambition, 
But  for  generous  truce  with  no  thought  of  conquest, 

War  for  War's  deathblow. 
We  who  gave  America  in  her  peril 
Instruments  for  victory,  Grant  and  Lincoln, 
Under  God  shall  force  new  emancipation, 

Freeing  Man's  spirit. 

The  above  poem  was  read  by  the  author  at  the  banquet, 
given  at  the  Leland  Hotel  in  Springfield,  Monday  evening,  De- 
cember 3,  in  honor  of  the  ninety-ninth  anniversary  of  the  admission 
of  Illinois  into  the  Union  and  the  beginning  of  the  Centennial 
year.  Mr.  Eice  is  a  Chicago  poet  of  wide  reputation,  and  was  the 
official  pageant  writer  and  lecturer  for  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission,  which,  in  conjunction  with  the  Illinois  Historical 
Society,  gave  the  banquet.  The  metre  of  the  poem  is  sapphic,  the 
same  used  by  Horace  in  his  "Integer  Vitae." 


THE  LINCOLN'S  BIRTHDAY  OBSERVANCE 

Two  mass  meetings  were  held  at  the  State  Arsenal  in  Spring- 
field on  Lincoln's  birthday,  February  12,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  and  the  Lincoln  Centennial  Asso- 
ciation. 

In  the  afternoon  a  chorus  of  twelve  hundred  Springfield 
school  children  sang  patriotic  songs,  and  addresses  were  delivered 
by  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Director  of  the  Centennial  Celebration, 
and  Mr.  Addison  G.  Proctor,  of  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  who  was  a 
delegate  from  Kansas  at  the  Wigwam  convention  which  nomi- 
nated Abraham  Lincoln  for  President  in  1860.  Dr.  Otto  L. 
Schmidt,  Chairman  of  the  Centennial  Commission,  presided. 

In  the  evening  another  great  mass  meeting  was  addressed  by 
Justice  William  Eenwick  Eiddell,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  the  Hon.  Thomas  Power  O'Connor,  the  Irish  Nation- 
alist member  of  the  English  Parliament.  Judge  J  Otis  Humphrey, 
of  the  United  States  District  Court,  and  Chairman  of  the  Lincoln 
Centennial  Association,  presided. 

Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  issued  a  statement  on  February 
9,  in  which  he  urged  a  greater  observance  of  Lincoln  Day  than 
ever  before.  This  statement  helped  materially  to  focus  public  at- 
tention upon  the  Lincoln  Celebration  throughout  Illinois.  The 
Proclamation  of  Governor  Lowden,  was  as  follows : 

"Lincoln's  spirit  still  walks  the  earth.  His  life  remains  the 
greatest  resource  to  the  forces  fighting  for  freedom  and  righteous- 
ness throughout  the  world.  When  autocracy  seems  to  win  vic- 
tories, it  is  Lincoln's  unshaken  faith  in  the  worth  of  the  common 
man  which  impels  us  to  go  on  at  any  cost.  When  some  fear  that 
the  monstrous  doctrine  of  the  mailed  autocrats — that  might  makes 
right — may  again  rule  the  earth,  our  resolution  is  renewed  by 
these  words  of  Lincoln :  TLet  us  have  faith  that  right  makes  might, 
and  in  that  faith  let  us  to  the  end  dare  to  do  our  duty.' 

94 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  95 

"When  our  allies  have  felt  the  need  to  refresh  their  courage 
they  have  turned  to  Lincoln's  words.  More  and  more  do  the 
lovers  of  liberty  everywhere  make  pilgrimage  to  Lincoln's  tomb. 
It  was  an  impressive  moment  when  Joffre,  who  saved  civilization 
at  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  with  reverent  hand  and  tear-dimmed 
eye  laid  a  wreath  above  his  dust.  Who  shall  doubt  that  the  old 
hero  felt  at  that  moment  a  new  resolve  to  'carry  on' ! 

"We  may  become  war-weary  before  peace  shall  come.  If 
we  do,  Lincoln  will  revive  our  will.  To  adopt  his  words  to  the 
present  crisis:  'Fondly  do  we  hope — fervently  do  we  pray — that 
the  mighty  scourge  of  war  will  speedily  pass  away.  Yet  if  God 
wills  that  it  continue  "until  the  privileges  of  emperors  and  kings 
shall  finally  give  way  to  the  rights  of  man;  until  the  sword  and 
cannon  shall  become  the  servants,  not  the  masters,  of  the  state; 
until  nations  everywhere  shall  confess  their  fealty  to  the  moral 
law;  until  the  God  of  Justice  and  Eighteousness  shall  rule  the 
world,"  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be 
said:  "The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  alto- 
gether.' " 

"As  the  weeks  shall  come  and  go,  in  ever  increasing  numbers, 
the  stars  upon  our  service  flags  will  turn  from  blue  to  gold.  The 
temptress  will  whisper  peace  to  us,  as  she  whispered  it  to  Lincoln, 
when  no  peace  is  possible — but  only  a  truce.  Let  us  in  that  hour, 
with  Lincoln,  'highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died 
in  vain,  that  this  Nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of 
freedom,  and  that  the  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth.' 

"The  cause  of  democracy  is  the  cause  of  humanity.  It  con- 
cerns itself  with  the  welfare  of  the  average  man.  Lincoln  was  its 
finest  product.  In  life,  he  was  its  noblest  champion.  In  death, 
he  became  its  saint.  His  tomb  is  now  its  shrine.  His  country's 
cause,  for  which  he  lived  and  died,  has  now  become  the  cause  of 
all  the  world.  It  is  more  than  half  a  century  since  his  country- 
men, with  reverent  hands,  bore  him  to  his  grave.  And  still  his 
pitiless  logic  for  the  right,  his  serene  faith  in  God  and  man,  are 
the  surest  weapons  with  which  democracy,  humanity  and  right- 
eousness now  fight  their  ancient  foe.  His  birthday  draws  near. 


96  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

It  will  nerve  the  soldier's  arm,  it  will  strengthen  the  stateman's 
resolution,  it  will  grip  humanity's  great  heart,  if,  upon  that  day, 
the  friends  of  man  everywhere  shall  pause  long  enough  to  recall 
his  life  and  death,  and  resolve  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  too,  shall 
not  have  lived  and  'died  in  vain'." 

Previous  to  Lincoln  Day,  the  Centennial  Commission  sent 
out  circular  letters  and  notices  to  the  press,  urging  the  observance 
throughout  the  State.  This  request  was  very  generally  complied 
with  by  local  Centennial  organizations. 

AFTERNOON  PBOGRAM  AT  2:30 

DE.  OTTO  L.  SCHMIDT 
Chairman  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  Presiding 

Invocation. . .  — Eev.  Euclid  B.  Eogers 

Music By  Chorus  and  High  School  Orchestra 

Address — The  Capital  City's  Part  in  the  Illinois  Centennial 

Celebration By  Hon.  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr. 

Director  Illinois  Centennial  Celebration 

Music , .By  Chorus  and  High  School  Orchestra 

Address — The  Nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln 

...... .1 .By  Addison  G-.  Proctor,  St.  Joseph,  Mich. 

Delegate    to   Republican   National    Convention    of    1860 

Music By  Chorus  of  1200  Pupils  of  Springfield  Schools  and 

High  School  Orchestra 

EVENING  PROGRAM  AT  7:30 

HON.  J  OTIS  HUMPHEEY 
President  of  Lincoln  Centennial  Association  Presiding 

Invocation •.,...  .Eev.  Lester  Leake  Eiley 

Music Watch  Factory  Band 

Address .  .  By  the  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  William  Eenwick  Eiddell 

Of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ontaria 

Music Watch  Factory  Band 

Address. By  the  Honorable  T.  P.  O'Connor 

Member  of  Parliament 

Music Watch  Factory  Band 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  97 

THE  CAPITAL  CITY'S  PART  IN  THE  CENTENNIAL 
CELEBRATION 

HUGH    S.    MAGILL,    JR. 

Director  Illinois  Centennial  Celebration 

We  have  assembled  here  today  to  celebrate  the  birthday  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Once  he  belonged  to  Illinois,  and  in  a  more 
intimate  sense  to  Springfield,  the  city  he  loved  to  call  his  home. 
Today,  though  our  city  contains  his  dust,  his  spirit  no  city,  no 
state,  no  nation  can  contain.  He  belongs  to  the  liberty  loving  of 
every  land.  Where  statesmen  meet  to  uphold  the  cause  of  humanity 
against  the  ruthless  aggressions  of  despotic  power,  his  great  spirit 
inspires  and  guides  their  councils.  Where  today  the  brave  sons  of 
America  and  France  and  Britain  and  Italy  stand  shoulder  to 
shoulder  in  the  trenches  of  Europe  to  battle  back  the  onslaughts 
of  the  mercilles  Huns,  there  the  spirit  of  Lincoln  nerves  these 
soldiers  of  liberty  to  offer,  "the  last  full  measure  of  devotion/' 
"that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people, 
shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

Fifty-seven  years  ago  yesterday,  Illinois  gave  Lincoln  to  our 
nation.  When  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  presidency,  the  coun- 
try was  rent  with  fierce  dissension.  His  one  great  passion  was 
to  save  the  Union,  for  he  knew  it  was  the  world's  last  hope  of 
free  government.  If  this  American  Republic  went  down  in  fra- 
ternal strife,  the  despots  of  earth  would  laugh  in  derision  at  the 
final  failure  of  democracy.  This  nation  "conceived  in  liberty 
and  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that. all  men  are  created  equal," 
must  be  preserved  for  the  welfare  of  our  own  people,  and  as  an 
inspiration  and  example  to  all  the  world. 

Through  four  long  years  of  sacrifice  and  suffering  he  "carried 
on,"  until  freedom  triumphed,  and  democracy  was  saved.  It  is 
in  support  of  the  same  principles  of  free  government  that  millions 
today  are  dedicating  their  lives  and  all  that  they  have.  We  would 
be  untrue  to  him,  and  unworthy  of  the  liberty  for  which  he  gave 
his  life  if  we  faltered  in  this  hour  of  trial.  Who  should  dare  put 
a  price  on  these  ideals  and  principles?  For  the  sake  of  ourselves 
— 7  C  C 


98  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  the  people  of  all  nations,  and  of  generations  yet  to  be,  these 
principles  must  be  maintained,  though  it  cost  billions  of  our 
treasure  and  millions  of  our  best  and  bravest  men. 

When,  war-weary,  we  would  consider  for  a  moment  a  com- 
promise peace,  let  us  remember  that  Lincoln  was  tempted  in  like 
manner.  During  the  dark  days  near  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
just  before  the  dawn  of  victory,  men  who  were  reputed  as  states- 
men went  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  urged  him  to  offer  a  compromise 
in  order  to  end  the  war.  He  replied,  "We  accepted  this  war  for 
a  worthy  object,  and  the  war  will  end  when  that  object  is  attained. 
Under  God,  I  hope  it  will  not  end  until  that  time  I"  This  should 
be  the  sentiment  of  every  staunch  patriot  today.  The  last  vestige 
of  that  military  autocracy,  which  deliberately  brought  on  this 
terrible  war,  must  be  put  down  forever,  that  it  may  never  again 
destroy  the  peace  of  the  world. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  above  any  mortal  man,  has  given  to  the 
world  its  finest  example  of  lofty  spirit  and  purpose  in  the  hour 
of  severest  trial.  The  military  autocracies  of  Europe  have  poured 
out  on  a  suffering,  bleeding  world  all  the  vials  of  wrath,  and 
hatred,  and  cruelty.  But  in  this  dark  hour  it  will  sweeten  our 
souls  to  contemplate  his  words  uttered  near  the  close  of  four 
years  of  awful  war:  "With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for 
all,  with  firmness  in  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let 
us  finish  the  work  we  are  in,  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  to 
care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  for  his  widow  and 
orphans,  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  last- 
ing peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations/' 

And  so  with  him,  "Let  us  have  faith  that  right  makes  might 
and  in  that  faith  let  us  to  the  end  dare  to  do  our  duty  as  we 
understand  it." 

THE  NOMINATION  OF  LINCOLN 

ADDISON    G.    PKOCTOR 

Youngest  delegate  to  the  Convention  of  1860  that 

nominated  Lincoln 

The  year  1860  introduced  into  our  national  life  Abraham 
Lincoln,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  certainly  the  most  in- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  99 

teresting  characters  that  has  graced  our  history  since  the  days 
of  Washington. 

Now  this  man,  born  to  poverty  and  obscurity,  whose  life 
from  its  earliest  days  to  middle  age  was  one  continued  struggle 
for  a  bare  existence, — who  came  to  the  State  of  Illinois  at  the 
age  of  21  a  raw  backwoodsman,  clothed  in  the  homespun  that  he 
had  earned  by  the  splitting  of  rails, — how  this  man  could  have 
so  impressed  himself  on  the  people  of  this  great  State,  and  of 
this  Nation,  as  to  become  the  chosen  and  accepted  leader  of  a 
great  National  party  at  the  most  critical  time  in  the  affairs  of 
this  country,  must  always  remain  one  of  the  interesting  chapters 
of  our  political  history. 

There  met  that  year  in  the  City  of  Chicago,  in  the  month  of 
May,  a  convention  composed  of  466  delegates  from  the  Northern 
States  and  the  Border  States  of  the  South.  They  were  men  of 
strong  convictions,  who  had  met  for  a  very  decided  purpose.  Slav- 
ery, as  a  political  power,  had  been  growing  more  and  more  aggres- 
sive and  dictatorial.  It  had  trampled  upon  all  of  the  compromises, 
had  outraged  the  moral  sensibilities  of  the  North  by  its  enforcement 
of  its  fugitive  slave  law,  and  now  under  cover  of  a  recent  Supreme 
Court  decision  it  was  attempting  to  force  its  way  into  the  free 
territories  of  the  Northwest,  and  so  the  temper  of  that  convention 
was  that  of  exasperation. 

To  the  West,  stretching  from  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  Eiver 
to  the  far  off  Pacific  Ocean,  lay  one  great  undeveloped  empire, 
promising,  as  we  all  realized,  tremendous  possibilities.  To  that 
great  empire  of  the  West,  this  Convention  invited  the  people  of 
the  world  to  come  and  help  in  its  development  and  to  share  in 
its  prosperity,  and  it  pledged  the  faith  of  that  great  party  which  it 
represented  to  the  dedicating  for  all  time  of  this  great  empire 
to  the  upbuilding  and  maintaining  of  free  homes  for  free  men, 
and  so  like  an  intrepid  gladiator  this  convention  strode  into  the 
National  arena,  threw  its  gauntlet  of  defiance  into  the  face  of 
slavery,  and  proclaimed — thus  far  may  thou  go  and  no  farther. 

This  determination  of  the  convention,  unanimously  adopted 
and  made  a  part  of  the  platform  on  which  they  stood,  the  next 


100  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  most  vital  question  was — to  whom,  in  view  of  this  emergency 
we  are  creating,  can  we  dare  to  entrust  the  leadership  ?  This  was 
the  question  that  gave  us  pause. 

There  had  come  to  that  convention,  largely  from  the  East, 
a  well  organized  body  of  delegates  demanding  the  nomination  for 
the  Presidency  of  Senator  William  H.  Seward  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Seward  had  been  prominent  in  National  affairs  for  many 
years.  As  governor  of  the  great  state  of  New  York,  and  as  United 
States  Senator,  he  had  attracted  unusual  attention  by  his  ability 
and  clear  statesmanship.  He  was  by  all  odds  the  most  prominent 
man  of  his  party  at  that  time. 

He  was  represented  in  that  delegation  by  many  of  the  most 
noted  political  manipulators  of  his  party  under  the  leadership  of 
Thurlow  Weed,  the  most  adroit  politician  of  his  day.  Seward 
had  come  to  that  convention  backed  by  this  great  element,  full  of 
confidence,  lacking  less  than  sixty  votes  of  enough  to  control  that 
entire  convention,  pledged  to  him  on  that  first  ballot.  The  advent 
spectacular  event  of  the  pre-convention  days. 

Outside  this  great  movement  for  Seward  all  seemed  confusion 
and  disintegration. 

Vermont  was  there  asking  for  the  nomination  of  her  able 
and  popular  Senator  Jacob  Collimer,  who  had  filled  many  places 
of  honor,  including  a  cabinet  membership  and  supreme  judgeship 
and  senator. 

New  Jersey  was  there  asking  for  the  nomination  of  her  Judge 
and  Senator,  William  L.  Dayton,  who  had  stood  with  Fremont 
four  years  before  and  gone  down  to  defeat  on  a  ticket  that  many 
suggested  "had  the  head  where  the  tail  ought  to  be." 

Pennsylvania  was  there  asking  for  the  nomination  of  her 
able,  aggressive  Senator  Simon  Cameron  with  the  whole  Penn- 
sylvania delegation  at  his  call. 

Ohio  was  there  urging  the  nomination  of  her  splendid  speci- 
men of  Senator  and  Statesman,  Salmon  P.  Chase,  afterward  our 
chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Missouri,  with  a  splendid  delegation  made  up  of  a  new  ele- 
ment that  everyone  wanted  to  encourage,  was  there  asking  for 
the  naming  of  her  eminent  Jurist,  Judge  Edward  Bates. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  101 

And  Illinois  was  there  with  a  united  and  very  active  delega- 
tion asking  for  the  nomination  of  a  man — who  was  neither  gov- 
ernor, judge  nor  senator,  just  a  plain  citizen — Abraham  Lincoln. 

And  this  was  the  condition  confronting  us  as  we  faced  the 
responsibility  of  that  nomination  for  leadership. 

We  had  come  to  that  Convention  from  far  away  Kansas  from 
"out  on  the  border."  We  had  been  making  a  very  determined 
fight  against  the  aggressions  of  the  slave  power,  a  conflict  that 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  entire  country  and  had  been  of 
such  value  to  the  party  that  they,  through  their  National  Com- 
mittee, had  invited  us  to  a  full  participation  in  the  councils  of 
the  Convention.  For  this  reason  the  members  of  our  little  delega- 
tion of  six  were  the  recipients  of  many  marked  attentions. 

The  morning  of  our  arrival  we  were  invited  to  an  interview 
with  Thurlow  Weed  at  his  parlor  at  the  Richmond  House. 

We  had  a  touch  of  trepidation  as  we  contemplated  being 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  this  noted  political  Mogul,  but  we 
braced  up  our  courage  and  went.  He  met  us  at  the  door  of  his 
parlor.  We  were  introduced  as  we  passed  in  by  our  chairman  and 
seated  about  his  big  round  table  in  the  centre  of  the  parlor. 

Mr.  Weed  was  most  gracious  in  his  manner,  and  dispelled  all 
terror  from  the  start. 

He  stood  by  the  table  while  we  were  seated  about  him  and 
addressed  each  one  of  us  personally,  calling  each  of  us  by  name, 
which  appealed  to  us  as  something  remarkable,  seeing  that  our 
introduction  was  so  informal.  That  ability  was  probably  one  of 
the  secrets  of  his  wonderful  influence,  the  ability  to  associate  the 
name  and  the  face,  an  adroit  quality,  essential  to  the  successful 
politician.  He  was  an  attractive  man  and  very  interesting.  After 
complimenting  us  on  the  good  work  accomplished  out  on  the  border 
and  thanking  us  most  graciously  for  the  service  rendered  to  the 
country  and  to  the  party,  he  turned  to  the  question,  of  the  im- 
pending nomination. 

He  said :  "Four  years  ago  we  went  to  Philadelphia  to  name 
our  candidate  and  we  made  one  of  the  most  inexcusable  blunders 
any  political  party  has  ever  made  in  this  country.  We  nominated 
a  man  who  had  no  qualification  for  the  position  of  Chief  Magis- 


102  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

trate  of  this  Republic."  "Why/'  he  said,  "that  boy  Fremont  had 
not  one  single  quality  to  commend  him  for  the  Presidency.  The 
country  realized  this  and  we  were  defeated  as  we  probably  de- 
served to  be.  We  have  that  lesson  of  defeat  before  us  today." 
He  went  on  to  say:  "We  are  facing  a  crisis;  there  are  troublous 
times  ahead  of  us.  We  all  recognize  that.  What  this  country  will 
demand  as  its  Chief  Executive  for  the  next  four  years  is  a  man 
of  the  highest  order  of  executive  ability,  a  man  of  real  statesman- 
like qualities,  well  known  to  the  country,  and  of  large  experience 
in  national  affairs.  No  other  type  of  man  ought  to  be  considered 
at  this  time.  We  think  we  have  in  Mr.  Seward  just  the  qualities 
the  country  will  need.  He  is  known  by  us  all  as  a  statesman.  As 
governor  of  New  York  he  has  shown  splendid  executive  ability. 
As  senator  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  statesman  and  a  political 
philosopher.  He  is  peculiarly  equipped  in  a  knowledge  of  our 
foreign  relations,  and  will  make  a  candidate  to  whom  our  people 
can  look  with  a  feeling  of  security.  We  expect  to  nominate  him 
on  the  first  ballot,  and  to  go  before  the  country  full  of  courage 
and  confidence."  He  thanked  us  for  the  call  and  gave  each  of  us 
a  friendly  handshake  at  parting. 

As  he  stood  at  the  table,  so  gracious,  so  genial,  with  all  our 
previous  estimate  of  him  dispelled,  I  was  reminded  of  Byron's 
picture  of  his  "Corsair"  as  "The  mildest  mannered  man  that  ever 
scuttled  ship  or  cut  a  throat,"  politically,  of  course. 

We  had  hardly  gotten  back  to  our  rooms  at  the  Briggs'  House 
when  in  came  Horace  Greeley  dressed  in  his  light  drab  suit  with 
soft  felt  hat  thrown  carelessly  on  our  table;  with  his  clean  red 
and  white  complexion,  blue  eyes  and  flaxen  hair,  he  looked,  as  he 
stood  there,  for  all  the  world  like  a  well-to-do  dairy  farmer  fresh 
from  his  clover  field.  He  was  certainly  an  interesting  figure,  and 
he  seemed  to  find  a  place  in  our  hearts  at  a  bound.  As  a  journal- 
ist he  was  full  of  compliments  for  the  good  news  we  had  furnished 
to  his  Tribune  and  we  were  all  drawn  to  him  by  his  irresistible 
smile. 

"I  suppose  they  are  telling  you,"  said  Greeley  in  a  drawly 
tone,  "that  Seward  is  the  'be  all'  and  the  'end  all'  of  our  exist- 
ence as  a  party;  our  great  statesman,  our  profound  philosopher, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  103 

our  pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  our  pillar  of  fire  by  night, — but  I 
want  to  tell  you,  boys,  that  in  spite  of  all  this  you  couldn't  elect 
Seward  if  you  could  nominate  him.  You  must  remember  as  things 
stand  today  we  are  a  sectional  party.  We  have  no  strength  outside 
the  North,  practically  we  must  have  the  entire  North  with  us  if 
we  hope  to  win." 

"Now  there  are  states  of  the  North  that  cannot  be  induced  to 
support  Seward,  and  without  these  states  we  cannot  secure  electoral 
votes  enough  to  elect.  So  to  name  Seward  is  to  invite  defeat.  He 
cannot  carry  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana  or  Iowa,  and  I 
will  bring  to  you  representative  men  from  each  of  these  states 
who  will  confirm  what  I  say."  And  sure  enough  he  did ;  bringing 
to  us  Governor  Andy  Curtin  of  Pennsylvania,  Governor  Henry  S. 
Lane  of  Indiana,  Governor  Kirkwood  of  Iowa,  each  of  whom  con- 
firmed what  Greeley  had  said  and  gave  reasons  for  the  belief. 

Governor  Curtin  was  particularly  emphatic.  He  said:  "I 
am  the  Eepublican  candidate  for  governor.  At  the  last  national 
election  Mr.  Buchanan  carried  Pennsylvania  by  50,000  majority. 
I  expect  to  be  elected  on  the  Eepublican  ticket  by  as  large  a  ma- 
jority as  Mr.  Buchanan  had  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  making  a 
change  of  100,000  votes;  but  I  can  only  do  this  if  you  give  me 
a  man  as  presidential  candidate  acceptable  to  my  people.  I  coald 
not  win  with  Mr.  Seward  as  our  candidate."  He  was>  a  bright 
looking,  enthusiastic  young  fellow  and  had  every  indication  of 
making  what  he  later  proved  to  be,  one  of  the  most  valuable  of 
our  war  governors.  Governor  Lane  and  Governor  Kirkwood  both 
gave  the  same  evidence  touching  Indiana  and  Iowa.  It  was  the 
work  of  Horace  Greeley  to  satisfy  the  Convention  that  the  nomi- 
nation of  Seward  would  mean  defeat  and  he  certainly  did  effec- 
tive work.  He  was  the  most  untiring  of  workers.  I  doubt  if 
Horace  Greeley  slept  three  consecutive  hours  during  the  entire 
session  of  that  Convention. 

We  had  calls  from  strong  men,  all  in  a  wide-awake  determi- 
nation to  meet  the  demands  of  the  emergency;  among  them  Gov- 
ernor John  A.  Andrew  of  Massachusetts  with  quite  a  group  of 
New  England  delegates,  and  Carl  Schurz  of  Wisconsin. 


104  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  afternoon  of  the  day  before  we  were  likely  to  reach  the 
balloting,  Greeley  came  in  to  see  us.  He  was  very  much  dis- 
couraged. He  could  see  no  way  to  effect  a  consolidation  of  the 
elements  opposed  to  Seward  and  he  feared  that  Seward  would  win 
on  the  first  ballot.  He  seemed  tired  and  depressed.  "Mr.  Gree- 
ley," said  one  of  our  delegates,  "who  do  you  really  prefer  to  see 
nominated,  tell  us  ?"  Greeley  hesitated  a  moment  and  sort  of  brac- 
ing up  he  said:  "I  think  well  of  Edward  Bates  of  Missouri  as  a 
safe  nominee.  He  is  a  very  able  man  and  he  comes  from  a  sec- 
tion that  we  ought  to  have  with  us.  He  is  not  well  known  in  the 
East,  and  for  that  reason  I  am  hesitating  in  urging  him  strongly, 
but  he  would  make  a  good  candidate  and  an  able  President  if 
elected,  but  I  am  hesitating." 

"Mr.  Greeley,"  said  one  of  our  group,  "what  do  you  think 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  candidate  ?  Why  not  urge  him  ?"  "Lin- 
coln," said  Mr.  Greeley,  speaking  very  slowly  as  if  weighing  each 
word,  "is  a  very  adroit  politician.  He  has  a  host  of  friends  out 
here  in  Illinois  who  seem  to  see  something  in  him  that  the  rest 
of  us  haven't  seen  yet.  He  has  a  very  interesting  history,  that 
would  make  good  campaign  literature;  but  the  trouble  with  Lin- 
coln is  that  he  has  had  no  experience  in  national  affairs,  and 
facing  a  crisis  as  we  all  believe,  I  doubt  if  such  a  nomination 
would  be  acceptable.  It  is  too  risky  an  undertaking."  And  that 
was  the  judgment  of  Horace  Greeley,  the  leader  of  the  opposition, 
only  a  few  hours  before  we  should  reach  the  actual  balloting. 

Soon  after  Greeley  had  gone  we  received  a  msssage  on  a  card 
saying:  "A  company  of  Unionists  from  the  Border  States  would 
like  to  meet  you  at  your  rooms."  They  were  of  that  sharp  eyed, 
broad  jawed  Scotch  Irish  type;  the  typical  mountaineers  of  the 
South — intense  and  volcanic,  standing  for  a  something  and  stand- 
ing resolutely.  We  realized  instantly  that  the  intense  moment 
had  come.  We  hurriedly  arranged  our  room  to  seat  as  many  as 
we  could,  the  others  stood  against  the  four  walls,  filling  the  room 
so  that  we  felt  that  we  were  in  close  touch  with  some  full  charged 
electric  batteries. 

These  men  of  the  southern  border  had  chosen  as  their  spokes- 
man Cassius  M.  Clay  of  Kentucky.  As  Clay  stepped  forward  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  105 

stood  at  the  head  of  our  table  at  which  we  were  all  seated,  there 
was  a  deep  intense  silence  for  a  moment.  As  he  stood  posed  before 
us  he  was  the  ideal  Kentucky  Colonel  with  all  the  mannerisms 
of  that  element  so  well  pictured  in  our  literature.  A  fascinating 
man,  handsome  to  look  upon,  faultlessly  dressed,  keen,  bright  and 
emotional.  We  could  not  keep  our  eyes  off  as  he  stood  like  a  wait- 
ing orator  charged  with  a  volcanic  mission.  As  he  stepped  closer 
to  the  table,  leaning  forward  with  a  sort  of  confidential  gesture, 
speaking  right  to  our  very  faces,  he  said:  "Gentlemen,  we  are 
on  the  brink  of  a  great  Civil  War."  He  paused  as  if  to  note  the 
effect.  He  seemed  to  have  caught  a  look  of  incredulity  creeping 
over  our  faces  that  he  chose  to  interpret  in  his  own  way.  Straight- 
ening himself,  looking  every  inch  the  orator,  he  said:  "You  un- 
doubtedly have  heard  that  remark  before,  but  I  want  you  to  know 
that  that  fact  will  soon  be  flashed  to  you  in  a  way  you  will  more 
readily  comprehend.  Gentlemen,  we  are  from  the  South,  and  we 
want  you  to  know  that  the  South  is  preparing  for  war.  If  the 
man  that  you  will  nominate  at  this  Convention  should  be  elected 
on  the  platform  you  have  already  adopted  the  South  will  attempt 
the  destruction  of  this  Union.  On  your  Southern  border  stretch- 
ing from  the  east  coast  of  Maryland  to  the  Ozarfes  of  Missouri 
there  stands  today  a  body  of  resolute  men  (of  whom  these  are  the 
representatives)  who  are  determined  that  this  Union  shall  not  be 
dissolved  except  at  the  end  of  a  terrible  struggle  in  resistance. 

It  makes  a  wonderful  difference  who  you  name  for  this  lead- 
ership at  this  time;  a  wonderful  difference  to  you  but  a  vital  dif- 
ference to  us.  Our  homes  and  all  we  possess  are  in  peril.  We 
realize  just  what  is  before  us.  You  must  give  us  a  leader  at  this 
time  who  will  inspire  our  confidence  and  our  courage.  We  must 
have  such  a  leader  or  we  are  lost.  We  have  such  a  man — a  man; 
whom  we  will  follow  to  the  end.  We  want  your  help  and,"  lean- 
ing forward,  in  a  half  suppressed  whisper,  he  said :  "We  want  you 
to  name  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  born  among  us  and  we  be- 
lieve he  understands  us. 

"You  give  us  Lincoln  and  we  will  push  back  your  battle  lines 
from  the  Ohio  (right  at  your  doors)  back  across  the  Tennessee 
into  the  regions  where  it  belongs.  You  give  us  Lincoln  and'  we 


106  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

will  join  this  Union  strength  full  of  enthusiasm  with  your  Union 
Army  and  drive  secession  to  its  lair.  Do  this  for  us  and  let  us 
go  home  and  prepare  for  the  conflict." 

Here  was  a  new  issue  just  at  a  psychological  moment  when 
everyone  realized  that  something  unusual  had  to  happen.  Up  to 
this  time  it  had  been,  "How  shall  we  keep  slavery  out  of  the 
Territories?"  Now  it  was  the  question,  "How  shall  we  make  sure 
to  preserve  this  Union  ?"  On  this  new  line  of  formation  the  army 
was  drawn  up  for  its  impending  battle. 

This  impassioned  appeal  of  Clay,  first  given  to  us  reached  the 
many  hesitating  delegates  and  aroused  a  new  vitalization  all  along 
the  line. 

Probably  the  more  conservative  presentation  of  the  issue  as 
made  by  Governor  Lane  of  Indiana  did  much  to  supplement  the 
more  volcanic  work  of  Clay.  Lane  said  to  us:  "I  am  Governor 
of  Indiana.  I  know  my  people  well.  In  the  South  half  of  my 
state  a  good  proportion  of  my  people  have  come  from  the  slave 
states  of  the  South.  They  were  poor  people  forced  to  work  for  a 
living  and  they  did  not  want  to  bring  up  their  families  in  competi- 
tion with  slave  labor,  so  they  moved  to  Indiana  to  get  away  from 
that  influence.  They  will  not  tolerate  slavery  in  Indiana  or  in 
our  free  territories  but  they  will  not  oppose  it  where  it  is  if  it  will 
only  stay  there.  These  people  want  a  man  of  the  Lincoln  type 
as  their  President.  They  are  afraid  Seward  would  be  influenced 
by  that  abolition  element  of  the  East  and  make  war  on  slavery 
where  it  is.  This  they  do  not  want,  so  they  believe  Lincoln,  under- 
standing this  as  one  of  their  kind,  would  be  acceptable  and  would 
get  the  support  of  this  entire  element.  If  at  any  time  the  South 
should  undertake  in  the  interest  of  slavery  to  destroy  this  Union 
we  can  depend  on  every  one  of  this  class  to  shoulder  his  musket 
and  go  to  the  front  in  defense  of  a  united  nation  even  at  the  cost 
of  slavery  itself." 

This  new  issue  fostered  by  the  strong  Illinois  delegation  under 
the  adroit  leadership  of  David  Davis,  pressed  by  the  impetuous  ora- 
tory of  Clay  and  strengthened  by  the  sincere  and  convincing  argu- 
ments of  Governor  Lane  of  Indiana  was  the  real  prevailing  influ- 
ence that  brought  cohesion  out  of  disintegration  and  centered  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  107 

full  strength  of  the  opposition  on  the  one  man.  It  was  an  adroit 
piece  of  work  as  effective  as  it  was  adroit. 

As  the  spectre  of  Civil  War  loomed  before  us  becoming  more 
and  more  convincing  and  menacing,  we  came  to  realize  the  need 
of  conserving  that  element.  It  grew  on  us  that  this  element  might 
be  a  controlling  factor  in  the  great  struggle  before  us.  It  might 
be  decisive  and  the  thought  gave  us  deep  concern. 

Later,  when  the  conflict  was  upon  us  and  we  saw  200,000 
of  these  fighting  men  from  our  slave  states  of  the  border  enlisted 
in  our  Union  Army  we  more  fully  realized  the  vital  influence  and 
superb  wisdom  of  that  final  decision. 

But  the  battle  was  not  over.  Strong  appeals  were  being  made 
by  both  elements.  The  Seward  forces  pressed  the  great  fact  of 
known  ability,  of  great  experience,  of  large  acquaintance,  its  abil- 
ity to  control  an  element  to  finance  a  hard  campaign;  an  element 
that  might  help  to  overcome  any  factional  opposition  in  the  doubt- 
ful states. 

The  opposition  delegates  centered  around  their  man  were 
pleading  for  a  more  complete  recognition  of  the  West  as  the  com- 
ing factor  in  the  growth  and  strengthening  of  the  party,  and  while 
conceding  the  value  of  the  ability  that  comes  from  experience, 
claimed  for  their  man  an  abundance  of  common  sense  on  which 
they  could  appeal  to  the  people  with  safety.  This,  with  the  great 
fact  of  the  demands  of  that  border  element  for  consideration  that 
it  was  not  safe  to  ignore  gave  strength  to  the  appeal  of  the  opposi- 
tion. 

The  issue  was  sharp,  keen  and  decisive.  The  call  to  the  battle 
of  the  ballot  brought  us  face  to  face  with  the  demand  for  a  duty  we 
could  not  shirk  or  would  not  if  we  could.  We  felt  the  full  weight 
of  the  responsibility.  A  responsibility  that  by  our  act  might  in- 
volve the  very  existence  of  the  Eepublic.  We  knew  that  our  man, 
whoever  he  might  be,  must  be  depended  on  to  carry  the  Nation 
through  the  most  critical  experience  of  its  history.  The  coming 
events  were  casting  their  dread  shadows  before  us.  It  was  an 
ordeal.  All  I  can  say  is — we  simply  put  our  trust  in  God  and 
He  who  makes  no  mistakes  gave  us  Abraham  Lincoln" 


108  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

THE   HONORABLE   WILLIAM   RENWICK   RIDDELL 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ontario 

At  first  sight  there  might  seem  an  incongruity  in  a  Canadian 
addressing  this  gathering,  met  to  honor  the  memory'  of  a  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  But  that  would  be  a  narrow  view;  the 
first  words  spoken  after  the  martyr  President's  death  are  as  true 
now  as  when  on  that  fateful  April  morn  fifty-three  years  ago  they 
were  uttered  by  Stanton,  "He  belongs  to  the  Ages." 

The  Great  President  who  led  his  people  amid  terrible  diffi- 
culties, cheerful  in  the  face  of  apparently  irreparable  disaster, 
calmly  saying  before  truculent  foes  as  before  doubting  friend 
"Whatever  shall  appear  to  be  G-od's  will  I  will  do,"  the  President 
who  in  the  very  hour  of  victory  achieved  was  stricken  down  by 
the  hand  of  the  assassin,  has  become  the  treasured  possession  of 
the  world;  and  my  Canada  claims  her  share  in  him. 

A  lad  of  thirteen  years  when  he  died  I  well  remember  the 
horror  and  detestation  with  which  the  deed  of  blood  was  regarded 
by  Canadians,  for  we  had  learned  to  look  upon  him'  as  our  own 
and  we  venerated  him  less  only  than  our  beloved  Queen  Victoria. 

Canadian  to  the  last  drop  of  my  blood,  British  to  my  finger 
tips,  I  too  was  born  on  this  our  Continent  of  North  America,  have 
from  infancy  breathed  her  free  air,  drunk  in  almost  with  mother's 
milk  the  splendid  principles  of  democracy  which  are  her  glory 
and  her  pride — in  common  with  my  brother  Canadians,  in  all 
things  I  am  "sprung  of  earth's  first  blood,"  in  the  highest  and 
best  sense  I  am  American. 

And  I  cannot  but  feel  that  your  invitation  to  me  to  speak  to 
you'  shows  that  you  agree  with  me  in  the  thought  which  caused 
me  to  accept  your  invitation  that  notwithstanding  our  difference 
of  allegiance,  our  status  in  international  law  of  alien  and  for- 
eigner, notwithstanding  all  outward  appearance  of  separation, 
there  is  between  American  and  Canadian  an  essential  and  funda- 
mental unit}7,  for  we  be  brethren,  nay  in  all  that  is  worth  while, 
American  and  Canadian  are  one. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  109 

The  great  bond,  the  eternal  principle,  which  makes  us  one  is 
democracy;  and  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  finest  type  and  the 
greatest  example  of  democracy  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

What  do  we  mean  by  democracy?  Not  a  form  of  govern- 
ment the  republics  of  ancient  and  medieval  times,  many  repub- 
lics, so-called,  of  modern  times  are  as  far  from  democracy  as  the 
nadir  from  the  zenith.  Monarchies,  too,  are  different  ranging 
from  absolute  monarchy  where  the  arrogant  monarch  can  say 
"There  is  but  one  will  in  my  country  and  it  is  mine"  to  the  mon- 
archy under  which  it  is  my  pride  to  live  in  which  the  King  is 
content  to  reign  leaving .  it  to  his  people  to  whom  it  belongs,  to 
rule. 

A  republic  in  form  may  be  an  oligarchy  or  a  tyranny  in  fact ; 
a  monarchy  in  form  may  be  in  reality  a  true  democracy. 

Every  people  has  the  government  it  deserves,  every  free  people 
the  government  it  desires;  and  that  free  people  which  has  chosen 
that  there  shall  be  government  of  the  people  by  the  people  for  the 
people,  is  a  democracy. 

Yet  he  who  adopts  that  principle  simply  because  it  recom- 
mends itself  to  his  fellow  citizens,  or  simply  as  a  matter  of  policy, 
is  not  a  true  democrat;  the  true  democrat  must  love  the  people, 
the  common  people. 

Washington,  praeclamm  nomen,  loved  the  common  people, 
but  he  was  not  of  them,  one  would  almost  say  he  was  an  English 
gentleman;  he  would  not  have  a  commission  given  to  any  but 
gentlemen;  Lincoln  was  of  the  common  people  himself,  he  knew 
them  and  loved  them  as  his  own,  not  as  a  superior  and  from  above 
but  as  one  of  themselves  and  on  a  level. 

And  this  was  the  cause  of  utter  bewilderment,  honest  per- 
plexity, to  many  in  the  East,  to  no  few  in  the  West,  who  could 
not  understand  that  high  station  was  not  inconsistent  with  sim- 
plicity of  manner;  they  thought  the  joke,  the  amusing  story,  un- 
dignified, unworthy  of  the  occupant  of  the  highest  office  in  the 
Union. 

Had  this  been  mere  frivolity,  such  strictures  would  have  been 
pardonable,  but  the  light  manner  covered  deep  feeling,  the  joke 
had  its  immediate  practical  application,  and  the  story  was  often 


110  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

full  of  significance,  like  the  parables  of  the  Gospel,  in  which  the 
Master  taught  profound  moral  truths  in  the  guise  of  tales  almost 
child-like  in  their  simplicity. 

This  very  want  of  affectation  was  symptomatic  of  the  deep 
regard  he  felt  for  his  fellow  men  and  of  his  reverence  for  the 
people  at  large,  democratic  in  his  views  of  government,  he  was 
democratic  in  his  manner  toward  others. 

Wholly  believing  in  the  power  of  public  opinion,  with  a  per- 
fect respect  for  the  popular  will,  he  did  not  seek  applause  or  to 
amuse  the  people,  except  with  the  end  of  convincing  them.  Was 
not  this  the  real  reason  why  he  relied  so  much  upon  "the  stump," 
upon  the  open  oral  debate,  when  face  to  face  the  champions  of 
rival  policies  might  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  was  in  them? 
Loving  the  people  as  he  did,  his  greatest  ambition  was  to  be 
esteemed  by  rendering  himself  worthy  of  that  esteem. 

He  was  not  unconscious  of  the  tremendous  importance  of  the 
issues  involved,  for  coming  as  he  did  from  a  small  frontier  town, 
lacking  what  the  world  calls  education,  with  little  grace  of  diction 
and  none  of  manner,  he  knew  that  his  seven  meetings  with  Doug- 
las were  the  successive  acts  of  a  drama  enacted  in  the  face  of  the 
Nation  and  to  no  small  extent  in  the  face  of  the  world.  But 
during  his  whole  life,  even  when  he  had  become  the  people's 
attorney  by  being  placed  in  the  Presidential  chair  he  was  not  self- 
willed,  he  sought  the  advice  and  counsel  of  others,  he  listened 
to  all  the  myriad  counsellors  bidden  or  otherwise,  ever  trusting 
that  those  who  should  know  would  help  him  in  his  perplexities. 

From  early  life  he  pondered  over  and  struggled  with  every 
proposition  till  he  understood  it  and  mastered  it;  he  read  every 
book  he  could  to  help  him  to  understand,  and  in  the  end  he  made 
up  his  own  mind  as  to  the  right.  Public  opinion  more  than  once 
was  against  him,  more  than  once  would  have  destroyed  his  plan, 
but  with  all  his  respect  for  public  opinion  he  recognized  his  own 
responsibility  before  God,  and  man,  and  made — not  adopted — a 
decision. 

That  marks  the  distinction  between  the  democrat  and  the 
demagogue. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  111 

So  at  all  times  he  repudiated  any  arbitrary  personal  prero- 
gative; as  he  was  not  a  demagogue  he  would  not  be  an  autocrat — • 
no  royalty  could  be  smelt  on  his  train. 

At  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  he  felt  the  majesty 
of  law.  It  may  be  that  Seward  lost  the  nomination  in  1860 
because  he  had  boldly  asserted  that  there  is  a  higher  law  than  the 
Constitution;  but  that  assuredly  was  not  the  reason  for  Lincoln's 
devotion  to  it.  He  did  not  imagine  that  the  Constitution  was 
perfect,  but  he  revered  it  because  it  was  a  contract,  and  his  con- 
ception of  right  did  not  allow  him  to  look  upon  a  contract  as  a 
scrap  of  paper. 

This  reverence  for  compact  explains  his  attitude  towards 
slavery. 

Convinced  that  where  the  white  man  governs  himself  that  is 
self-government  but  when  he  governs  himself  and  also  governs 
another  that  is  more  than  self-government,  that  is  despotism — 
convinced  that  slavery  is  a  violation  of  eternal  right  and  that 
that  black  foul  lie  can  never  be  concentrated  into  God's  hallowed 
truth;  wishing  that  all  men  everywhere  could  be  free,  nay  con- 
vinced that  the  Eepublic  could  not  endure  half  slave  and  half  free, 
he  nevertheless  fought  the  radical  abolitionists  as  he  fought  those 
favouring  the  extension  of  slavery,  while  he  swore  that  the  Con- 
stitution should  not  shelter  a  slave  holder,  he  would  not  permit 
it  to  shelter  the  slave  stealer;  he  declared  in  his  first  inaugural 
address  that  he  did  not  intend  to  interfere  with  slavery;  even  in 
the  midst  of  war  he  repudiated  the  proclamation  of  Fremont,  and 
at  length  he  freed  the  slave  only  as  a  war  measure.  Inter  arrria 
silent  leges. 

Devoted  to  principle,  he  fought  all  his  battles  on  principle; 
and  while  the  most  kindly  and  placable  of  men,  he  gave  way  no 
jot  on  matters  of  principle,  he  made  no  compromise  with  wrong- 
doing. The  attempts  at  compromise  with  the  seceding  states, 
which  we  now  know  were  foolish,  he  would  have  nothing  to  do 
with — he  stood  firm — Blair,  Dawson,  G-reeley,  who  not?  Men  of 
consequence  in  their  day  but  now  as  stars  lost  before  the  sun 
coquetted  with  rebellion.  Lincoln  listened,  smiled  and  moved  not. 
Rebellion  he  knew  was  not  the  work  of  a  day;  it  was  deep-seated 


112 

and  required  heroic  measures;  one  could  not  fight  it  with  elder- 
stalk  squirts  filled  with  rosewater;  and  he  pressed  on  the  war 
more  earnestly  than  his  professional  soldiers  and  with  no  shadow 
of  turning. 

Lincoln  had  utter  faith  that  Eight  makes  Might,  the  true 
democratic  doctrine,  as  opposed  to  the  autocratic  creed  Might 
makes  Eight;  and  in  that  faith  dared  till  the  end  to  do  his  duty 
as  he  understood  it.  In  that  belief  he  dared  to  defy  almost  the 
whole  of  the  Northern  States  by  releasing  the  Southern  envoys 
taken  from  the  Trent  contrary  to  international  law.  Firm  in 
asserting  right  he  recognized  correlative  duties,  national  as  well 
as  individual. 

Lincoln  had  (it  would  seem)  no  well  defined  religious  views 
in  early  life,  but  as  soon  as  his  thought  became  clear  he  recog- 
nized that  there  is  a  God  who  governs  the  world  and  that  if  God 
be  with  us  we  cannot  fail  in  the  end;  he  revered  the  justice  and 
goodness  of  the  Creator  and  humbly  acknowledged  that  "The  judg- 
ments of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether."  He  walked 
humbly  knowing  God  as  the  Father  of  all  and  that  very  knowl- 
edge made  him  the  better  democrat.  As  it  seems  to  me  no  man 
can  be  a  true  democrat  who  looks  upon  the  world  as  without  a 
Divine  Author  and  Governor,  the  children  of  men  but  an  accident 
here  with  a  future  of  utter  nothingness.  The  true  democrat  is 
he  who  knows  that  all  men  are  like  himself  the  children  of  God 
and  therefore  his  brethren. 

Does  not  the  love  of  his  fellow  man  shine  out  in  every  line 
of  that  sad  but  kindly  face?  Compare  it  with  the  scowling  face 
of  the  Kaiser,  the  outstanding  example  of  the  autocrat — a  face 
indicating  arrogance,  contempt,  brutal  disregard  of  the  rights 
and  feelings  of  others. 

Your  President  has  said  that  the  present  war  is  waged  that 
the  world  may  be  safe  for  democracy. 

Truly  the  world  is  now  in  the  crucible;  the  furnace  is  seven 
times  heated,  the  tension  well-nigh  intolerable;  in  the  welter  of 
blood,  the  cry  of  agony,  the  horror  of  death,  the  world's  destiny 
is  now  being  wrought  out — the  white  hot  metal  must  soon  issue 
and  take  permanent  form — all  this  is  terrible  but  it  was  inevitable. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  113 

The  autocrat  and  the  democrat  must  needs  meet  in  deadly 
conflict,  and  determine  what  the  future  of  the  world  shall  be — 
there  is  not  room  enough  on  earth  for  both. 

This  is  no  dynastic  war  to  establish  a  sovereign  or  a  reigning 
house,  no  religious  conflict  to  render  dominant,  Catholic  or 
Protestant,  all  but  a  very  few  peoples  are  wholly  indifferent  who 
is  and  who  is  not  king;  Protestant  Prussia  and  Protestant  Eng- 
land, Catholic  Austria  and  Catholic  France  and  Italy  are  not 
divided  on  religious  lines,  the  Catholic  American  or  Canadian 
stands  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  his  Protestant  fellow-country- 
man with  the  same  high  resolve  toward  the  same  lofty  ends.  A 
people  whose  whole  principle  of  government  is  autocratic,  whose 
Kaiser  is  never  photographed  without  a  frown,  his  avowed  models 
a  people  whose  princes  glory  in  military  uniform,  whose  whole 
national  atmosphere  is  enmity,  hate  and  malevolence  had  been 
preparing  for  more  than  a  generation  for  world  dominion — not 
a  world  dominion  where  others  would  be  treated  with  kindness 
and  justice  but  where  they  would  be  ruled  with  a  rod  of  iron 
having  no  rights  which  a  German  was  bound  to  respect. 

The  rest  of  the  world  was  strangely  blind  to  its  danger — the 
few  who  understood  and  spoke  out,  were  treated  as  alarmists; 
one  I  know  in  Canada  was  laughed  at  and  ridiculed,  and  more 
than  one  in  England  had  the  same  experience.  No  one  in  a  civil- 
ized country  could  believe  that  any  people  had  reached  the  depth 
of  infamy  required  to  make  them  disregard  all  justice  and  right 
in  order  to  aggrandize  themselves  and  their  ruling  house.  Yet 
so  it  was ;  and  the  world  had  a  terrible  awakening. 

To  the  amazement  of  the  civilized  world,  the  solemn  contract 
to  respect  and  maintain  the  neutrality  of  Belgium  was  ruthlessly 
broken ;  the  nation  which  prided  itself  on  its  blunt  honesty  became 
a  perjured  nation — true,  at  first  the  Chancellor  expressed  some 
kind  of  regret  but  soon  the  real  spirit  became  all  too  manifest, 
the  brutal  aggressor  was  contemptible  enough  actually  to  attempt 
to  justify  the  wrong  by  lying  charges  against  crucified  Belgium, 
enmity,  hate,  malevolence  did  their  perfect  work.  France  must 
necessarily  resist  for  she  was  attacked — but  the  land  across  the 
— 8  C  C 


114  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

channel  was  safe,  her  navy  ruled  the  narrow  seas,  and  there  was 
little  chance  of  a  successful  invasion  of  her  peaceful  shores. 

But  she  had  made  a  bargain  with  Belgium,  she  wished  well 
to  Belgium,  her  heart  went  out  to  Belgium;  and  she  threw  her 
small  army  in  the  way  of  the  aggressor. 

The  world  did  not  know  the  Prussian,  did  not  understand 
to  what  depth  of  brutality  he  could  descend.  Eules  of  decency 
were  supposed  still  to  hold  even  in  war;  but  every  vile  thought 
that  could  be  conceived  by  the  vilest  of  men  was  carried  into 
execution  by  the  invading  Hun — not  sporadically  as  may  happen 
in  any  army  who  see  red  and  are  in  the  agony  of  battle,  but  of 
design,  with  fixed  purpose  and  by  command  of  cool,  collected 
officers.  Murder,  rape,  arson  by  wholesale;  women  and  children 
massacred  or  tortured  with  a  torture  worse  than  death — the  Indian 
on  this  continent  never  gave  such  a  spectacle,  the  world  stood 
aghast  and  the  German  smiled  a  smile  of  self-satisfaction. 

For  long  the  conflict  raged,  Canadians  fought  and  bled  and 
died,  many  gallant  young  Americans  joined  our  army,  many  joined 
the  forces  in  France — but  the  United  States  was  neutral. 

Murder  on  land  was  followed  by  murder  on  the  sea;  Ameri- 
can lives  went  out  in  the  waters  as  Belgian  lives  went  out  on  the 
plain,  and  yet  America  held  her  hand. 

But  when  the  promise  solemnly  made  was  contemptuously 
broken,  when  it  became  manifest  that  a  wild  beast,  a  tiger  was 
abroad  to  which  a  promise  was  but  something  to  be  broken,  when 
it  became  manifest  that  the  Germany  which  was  at  war  was  the 
enemy  of  the  human  race,  there  was  no  longer  hesitation. 

War  was  declared  by  America  against  the  enemy  of  America 
because  the  enemy  of  every  nation  governed  by  humane  and  moral 
principle,  an  enemy  determined  to  set  at  naught  all  principles  of 
right,  of  mercy,  of  justice  to  attain  his  object. 

And  America  is  united — the  un-American,  disloyal,  hyphen- 
ated, I  disregard;  they  are  annojdng  but  ridiculous  and  will 
vanish  from  sight  once  the  United  States  seriously  turns  its  atten- 
tion to  them.  Some  day  when  Uncle  Sam  is  not  too  busy,  he  will 
take  a  bath  and  have  his  clothes  baked;  and  we  shall  then  hear 
no  more  of  the  vermin. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  115 

Is  this  not  in  a  large  measure  the  work  of  Abraham  Lincoln  ? 
Abraham  Lincoln  thought  that  in  giving  freedom  to  the  slave 
freedom  was  assured  to  the  free;  in  waging  war  against  slavery 
he  said  "We  shall  nobly  save  or  meanly  lose  the  last  best  hope  of 
earth."  Britain  grimly  hanging  on,  France  bleeding  at  every 
pore,  Italy  angrily  and  helplessly  watching  the  Hun  devastate  her 
beautiful  land  look  eagerly  across  the  sea  for  the  coming  Ameri- 
can host  who  are  nobly  to  save,  not,  please  God,  meanly  to  lose 
'the  last  best  hope  on  earth — and  he  who  set  free  the  slave  for  a 
United  America  half  a  century  ago  made  it  possible  for  a  United 
America  to  keep  free  and  democratic  the  weary  nations  fighting 
for  life  against  the  autocrat. 

It  is  a  favorite  thought  of  mine  that  the  democrat  and  the 
a-utocrat  are  typified  in  the  leading  characters  in  that  war  for 
freedom  and  in  this  the  man,  the  kindly  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
most  perfect  ruler  of  men  the  world  has  ever  seen,  the  repellant, 
scowling  Kaiser,  the  superman,  one  of  the  worst  failures,  the  one 
fearing  God  and  expressing  ignorance  of  His  will,  the  other 
patronizing  the  good  old  German  God,  congratulating  Him  on 
being  a  faithful  ally  and  admitting  Him  almost  to  an  equal 
partnership :  Lincoln  willing  to  hold  McClellan's  horses  if  he 
would  but  bring  victory:  William,  arrogance  personified,  filled 
with  overweening  pride  and  insolence.  Lincoln  took  as  his  models 
the  Fathers  of  the  Revolution  and  the  good  of  all  nations.  The 
Kaiser,  Alexander,  'Caesar,  Theodoric  II,  Frederick  the  Great, 
Napoleon,  Alexander,  who,  after  deluging  the  world  with  blood, 
wept  because  there  were  no  other  worlds  to  conquer,  Caesar,  whose 
cold  blooded  slaughter  of  the  unfortunate  Gauls  horrifies  even  the 
school  boys,  who  have  to  pick  out  their  meaning  with  the  aid  of 
grammar  and  lexicon;  Theodoric,  who  murdered  his  guest  at  the 
banquet  and  slew  his  great  Chancellor  because  he  dared  to  insist 
on  the  innocence  of  one  whom  Theodoric  had  determined  to  de- 
stroy. Frederick  the  Great,  the  perjured  thief  whom  all  the  rhe- 
toric of  Thomas  Carlyle  cannot  make  into  even  a  decent  barbarian. 
Napoleon,  who  also  sought  world  power  and  cared  little  how  he 
got  it,  who  sprinkled  kings  of  his  own  family  over  Europe  like 
grains  of  pepper  out  of  a  pepper  pot,  who  cared  no  more  for  the 


116  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

blood  of  the  common  man  than  for  the  life  of  a  fly — such  are  the 
Kaiser's  chosen  models  and  he  strives  hard  to  better  their  example. 
If  the  President  had  a  reverence  for  contract  the  Kaiser  treats 
it  as  a  scrap  of  paper;  Lincoln  gave  up  Mason  and  Slidell  though 
he  thereby  angered  the  North  because  the  rules  of  international 
law  forbade  their  retention,  the  Kaiser  boldly  says  there  is  no 
longer  any  international  law  and  murders  at  sea  as  on  land.  The 
American  instructed  Francis  Lieber — a  Brandenburger  be  it  said, 
one  who  never  forgot  that  he  was  a  Brandenburger,  a  Prussian, 
a  German — to  draw  up  rules  for  the  conduct  of  his  troops,  a  war 
code  the  best,  the  most  humane  known  to  its  time  and  never  im- 
proved upon ;  the  Prussian !  The  cities,  villages  and  plains  of 
France  and  Flanders  cry  aloud  his  infamy,  slaughtered  non-com- 
batant, outraged  woman,  starved  child,  ruined  fane,  poisoned  well, 
the  hideous  story  is  all  too  well  known,  the  world  will  not  for 
generations  forget  the  nightmare  horror  of  Belgium,  and  so  long 
as  devotion  to  duty,  sincere  patriotism  and  unaffected  piety  and 
self-sacrifice  command  the  admiration  of  the  world,  so  long  will 
be  held  in  memory  the  name  of  that  illustrious  martyr  to  the 
German  rules  of  war,  Edith  Cavell. 

America  is  at  war.  Why?  What  is  the  real  reason?  It  is 
the  same  as  why  Britain  and  her  fairest  daughter  Canada  are  at 
war. 

It  is  that  the  principles  which  were  dear  to  Lincoln  may 
prevail,  that  malevolence  and  overweening  pride  may  have  a  fall, 
that  the  awful  doctrine  of  the  superman  may  be  destroyed,  that 
humanity  may  be  vindicated,  that  the  free  shall  remain  free  and 
the  enslaved  made  free,  that  the  people  of  every  land  shall  say 
how  and  by  whom  they  will  be  governed,  that  militarism  may  be 
phown  to  be  not  only  a  curse  but  also  a  failure;  that  it  may 
clearly  appear  that  contract  breaking,  lying,  cruelty,  do  not  pay. 

Until  that  lesson  is  learned  and  thoroughly  learned,  the 
Prussian  must  remain  without  the  pale  of  friendly  converse  with 
other  nations  unlike  him;  but  the  lesson  when  learned  will  be 
abundantly  worth  the  pain  experienced  in  learning  it.  Let  but 
the  arrogant  superman  lay  aside  his  intolerable  assumption  of 
superiority,  let  him  lay  aside  the  brutality  symbolized  by  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  117 

scowl  of  his  Kaiser,  let  him  feel  the  moving  spirit  of  democracy 
and  benevolence  toward  others,  let  him  in  a  word  become  human 
— and  he  may  be  met  as  an  equal,  esteemed  and  loved  as  a  friend. 

But  until  that  time  comes,  we  must -fight  on — if  the  Germans 
conquer  then  nothing  else  is  worth  while.  All  the  silly  attempts 
at  a  German  peace  must  be  received  with  the  contempt  which  they 
deserve,  the  conempt  with  which  Lincoln  looked  upon  the  efforts 
of  many  to  compromise.  He  could  not  compromise  with  slavery, 
we  cannot  compromise  with  autocratic  pretensions.  We  cannot 
lay  down  the  sword  till  democracy  and  our  civilization  are  safe. 
We  will  never  accept  the  Kultur  of  Prussia. 

We  must  expect  reverses,  bitter  disappointments,  loss  of  hard- 
earned  ground,  luke  warm  friends,  incessant  spying,  incessant 
attempts  to  weaken  our  resolve — but  these  must  not  discourage 
us,  the  goal  is  clear  ahead  and  there  is  no  discharge  in  this  war. 

Thirty-five  thousand  Canadian  lads,  three  thousand  from  my 
own  city,  of  high  courage  and  high  promise  lie  under  the  sod, 
having  given  their  all  for  us,  having  made  the  supreme  sacrifice 
for  civilization — a  hundred  thousand  are  crippled  or  wounded  in 
the  various  hospitals — tens  of  thousands  of  Canadian  mothers  are 
broken-hearted — yet  we  must  carry  on. 

So  too,  America  must  now  take  her  share  of  the  burden; 
hating  war  as  she  does  she  must  fight  as  never  before,  for  there 
never  was  a  war  like  this  before — every  nerve  strained,  all  her 
resources  called  out,  man  and  woman  and  child  each  in  his  own 
way  doing  his  very  best,  even  so  the  road  will  be  long  and  hard, 
and  ever  and  anon  the  heart  will  be  sick  from  hope  deferred. 

There  cannot  be  any  doubt  of  the  final  result — right  must 
triumph  and  wrong  be  put  down,  but  there  can  be  no  slackening 
of  the  efforts  put  forth  for  victory. 

One  Canadian  soldier  bard  has  sung  with  a  curiosa  felicitas 
not  excelled,  I  think,  since  the  times  of  Horace : 

"In  Flanders  fields  the  poppies  grow 
Between  the  crosses  row  on  row 
That  mark  our  place  and  in  the  sky 
The  larks  still  bravely  singing  fly 


118  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Scarce  heard  amidst  the  guns  below — 
We  are  the  dead.     Short  days  ago 
We  lived,  felt  dawn,  saw  sunset  glow, 
Loved  and  were  loved,  and  now  we  lie 
In  Flanders  fields. 

Take  up  our  quarrel  with  the  foe, 
To  you  from  failing  hands  we  throw 
The  Torch — be  yours  to  hold  it  high ! 
If  ye  break  faith  with  us  who  die 
We  shall  not  sleep  though  poppies  grow 
In  Flanders  fields." 

(The  poet,  my  friend,  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  McCrae  him- 
self now  lies  in  Flanders  fields,  having  made  the  last,  the  supreme 
sacrifice  for  God,  for  King  and  for  the  right.) 

So  your  dead  are  calling  you — few  they  are  now  but  many 
they  will  be — your  hearts  will  ache  like  ours  but  thank  God  your 
courage  is  as  high,  your  faith  as  serene. 

As  Lincoln  before  the  dead  at  Gettysburg,  so  you  before  your 
dead  in  France  and  we  before  ours  in  Mesopotamia  and  Syria,  at 
Gallipoli  and  Saloniki  and  wherever  on  the  western  front  the  battle 
has  been  waged  most  fiercely — at  St.  Julien,  Vimy  Ridge,  Paschen- 
daele,  Courcelette — must  offer  up  the  vow  "It  is  *  *  *  for 
us  to  be  *  *  *  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before 
us,  that  from  these  honoured  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to 
that  cause  for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion, 
that  we  *  *  *  highly  resolve  that  they  shall  not  have  died 
in  vain,  that  the  world  under  God  shall  have  a  re-birth  of  free- 
dom and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for 
the  people  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth."  May  we  be  strength- 
ened to  carry  out  the  like  resolve  to  his,  "With  malice  toward  none, 
with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right  as  God  has  given 
us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in 
to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  last- 
ing peace." 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  119 

For  those  who  mourn  the  dead  will  come  the  consolation: 

"To  yearning  hearts  that  pray  in  the  night 
For  solace  to  ease  them  of  their  pain 
For  those  who  will  ne'er  return  again 
There  shines  in  the  darkness  a  radiant  light- — 
A  vision  of  service  at  God's  right  hand 
For  the  noble,  chivalrous,  youthful  band 
Who  gave  up  their  all  for  God  and  the  Eight. 

"God  will  repay  what  we  owe  to  Youth, 
Youth  that  sprang  at  their  Country's  call, 
Youth  ready  to  give  up  their  all 
For  God  and  Country,  Freedom  and  Truth, 
For  love  of  home  and  a  scathless  hearth, 
For  all  that  ennobles  this  transient  earth 
Imperilled,  overshadowed  by  'woeful  ruth'." 

For  God  and  the  right?  Yes  we  fight  not  for  Britain,  for 
France,  for  America  alone,  not  even  for  the  democratic  nations 
alone.  Just  as  Lincoln  when  pouring  his  hosts  against  the  South 
knew  that  he  was  fighting  for  the  South  and  the  future  of  the 
South,  so  we  straining  every  muscle  against  Germany  and  her 
allies  are  fighting  for  them  and  their  future.  We  do  not  arrogate 
the  right  to  dictate  to  them  how  they  are  to  be  governed.  Our 
arms  may  persuade  them  by  the  only  argument  they  can  fully 
understand  that  there  is  no  need  of  loss  of  liberty  to  hold  the 
Fatherland  secure  that  democracy  can  wage  a  war  and  defend  a 
land  in  the  long  run  more  effectually  than  autocracy;  but  if  they 
resist  our  persuasion,  that  is  their  affair — every  nation  has  the  gov- 
ernment it  deserves.  But  they  must  learn  that  people  of  our  race 
are  not  to  be  bullied,  that  we  are  not  subdued  by  threat  or  by 
brutality  and  Schrecklichkeit  has  no  terrors  over  us.  Having 
learned  that  democracy  has  the  will  and  the  power  to  live  they 
may  choose  their  own  form  of  government;  but  they  must  keep 
"hands  off"  ours. 


120  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Free  America,  America  who  more  than  a  century  ago  fought 
that  her  sons  might  be  free,  who  fought  half  a  century  ago  that 
the  helpless  black  might  be  free,  we  welcome  you  to  the  great 
Armageddon  wherein  you  will  fight  that  the  world  may  be  free. 
Germany  must  share  the  benefits  of  your  victory.  Once  she  has 
seen  the  light,  has  learned  the  truth  of  the  apostle's  words  "God 
has  made  all  nations  of  men  of  one  blood,"  when  her  people  have 
learned  that  men  of  other  nations  are  their  brethren  not  destined 
to  be  their  slaves,  that  "The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fullness 
thereof"  then  may  be  seen  on  earth  what  the  poet  saw  in  his  vision 
of  the  heavens: 

"I  dreamt  that  overhead 

I  saw  in  twilight  grey 
The  Army  of  the  Dead 

Marching  upon  its  way. 
So  still  and  passionless, 

With  faces  so  serene, 
That  one  could  scarcely  guess 

Such  men  in  war  had  been. 

"No  mark  of  hurt  they  bore, 

Nor  smoke,  nor  bloody  stain ; 
Nor  suffered  any  m'ore 

Famine,  fatigue  or  pain; 
Nor  any  lust  of  hate 

Now  lingered  in  their  eyes — 
Who  have  fulfilled  their  fate, 

Have  lost  all  enmities. 

"A  new  and  greater  pride 

So  quenched  the  pride  of  race 
That  foes  marched  side  by  side 

Who  once  fought  face  to  face. 
That  ghostly  army's  plan 

Knows  but  one  rede,  one  rod 
All  nations  there  are  Man, 

And  the  one  King  is  God. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  121 

"No  longer  on  their  ears 

The  bugle's  summons  falls; 
Beyond  these  tangled  Spheres 

The  Archangel's  trumpet  calls; 
And  by  that  trumpet  led 

Far  up  the  exalted  sky, 
The  Army  of  the  Dead 

Goes  by  and  still  goes  by. 

"Look  upward,  standing  mute ; 
Salute!" 

(NOTE:     I  have  read  this  beautiful  poem  of  Barry  Pain's  on 
many  occasions.     I  make  no  excuses  for  reading  it  again.  W.  R.  R.) 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

THE  HONORABLE   THOMAS   POWER  O'CONNOR 

Member  of  the  British  Parliament 

I  can  scarcely  remember  the  time  when  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  not  familiar  to  me.  I  still  remember  the  strange 
thrill  with  which  I  listened  to  my  professor  reading  out  in  the 
class  the  forecast  in  a  newspaper  as  to  what  the  different  states 
of  the  Union  were  expected  to  do  in  case  there  came  a  war.  I 
still  remember  the  historic  description  of  his  interview  with  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  by  Goldwin  Smith,  one  of  the  prominent  Englishmen 
of  his  time,  who  was  on  the  side  of  the  North. 

The  first  speech  I  ever  made  was  on  the  Civil  War.  Finally 
there  comes  back  to  me,  with  something  of  the  poignancy  of  the 
hour  the  day  when  Dennis,  the  good  old  porter  of  my  college, 
said  with  sadness  on  his  face,  that  there  was  a  rumor  that  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  had  been  assassinated;  it  was  in  the  days  before  the 
Atlantic  cable  and  I  suppose  then  news  did  not  reach  the  small 
and  remote  Irish  town  in  which  I  then  lived  till  some  weeks  after 
the  tragic  event. 

But  it  was  not  until  many  years  afterwards  that  I  got  some 
knowledge  of  Lincoln.  One  morning  I  found  myself  introduced 


122  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

to  a  man  who  was  seated  in  a  bath  chair  taking,  like  myself,  the 
cure  at  Carlsbad.  He  looked  the  splendid  ruin  of  a  great  west- 
ern man,  the  shoulders  were  unusually  broad;  the  chest  massive, 
the  head  massive  and  the  massive  features,  and  his  expression  gave 
a  similar  impression  of  a  powerful  temperament;  powerful  and 
yet  genial  and  amiable.  It  was  Ward  Lamon,  once  a  partner  of 
Lincoln  in  this  very  town,  afterwards  his  Marshal  in  Washington ; 
for  many  years  his  intimate  friend;  always  his  devoted  admirer. 

Let  me  tell  you  the  spirit  in  which  I  approach  the  study  of 
Lincoln.  In  his  case,  as  in  the  case  of  all  public  men,  and  indeed 
of  all  men  who  have  influenced  the  world,  I  start  from  the  principle 
of  giving  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  There  is  a 
tendency  to  make  of  Lincoln  what  is  called  plaster  of  paris  saint; 
he  is  a  saint  in  my  secret  calendar  of  saints;  but  you  make  less  a 
saint  of  him  trying  to  make  him  a  plaster  of  paris  saint.  It  was 
a  great  saying  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  "Paint  me  as  I  am,  wart  and 
all/'  and  Lincoln  would  probably  have  said  the  same  thing. 

It  is  only  snobbishness  or  prudery,  or  the  vulgarity  that  some- 
times calls  itself  elegance,  that  seeks  to  portray  Lincoln  in  in- 
human perfection. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  on  the  very  trivial  question 
whether  Lincoln's  language  was  always  that  of  the  Sunday  school. 
It  wasn't;  and  some  people  have  found  it  necessary  to  prove  that 
he  never  used  a  big  D. 

What  ignorance  such  criticism  displays  of  human  nature  and 
of  the  masters  that  understand  and  control  human  nature!  Wis- 
dom is  not  effective  which  does  not  get  to  the  simplest  as  well  as 
to  the  erudite, — to  the  plain  people  as  well  as  the  scholars.  A 
gospel  has  failed  which  is  not  in  the  language  of  the  people. 

The  sayings  of  Lincoln  are  better  known  than  those  of  any 
other  president  that  ever  lived  in  the  white  house.  Many  of  these 
sayings  summed  up  a  whole  world  of  wisdom  and  of  policy  in  a 
single  phrase  which  at  once  caught  the  imagination  and  reached 
the  mind  of  his  people,  as  for  instance,  when  he  warned  the  nation 
during  his  second  election  not  to  "swap  horses  when  crossing  the 
stream."  If  anybody  object  that  his  stories  had  sometimes  phrases 
that  are  not  used  in  the  drawing  room,  again  remembering  my 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  123 

principle  that  we  are  dealing  with  a  saintly  man,  but  not  a  plaster 
of  paris  man.  I  am  not  concerned  to  prove  that  the  language  was 
not  always  that  of  the  drawing  room. 

Surely  it  is  the  merest  prudery  to  contend  that  Lincoln's 
utterances  so  often  in  the  somber  philosophy  of  Solomon's  vanity 
of  vanities  should  also  be  combined  with  the  healthy  and  wise 
laughter  of  "Don  Quixote"  or  the  Pickwick  Papers.  In  this  view 
of  life,  half  ironical  and  yet  pronouncedly  serious,  Lincoln  was  the 
embodiment  of  the  point  of  view  of  the  American  people  then 
and  since. 

If  you  scrutinize  his  utterances  through  the  different  epochs 
of  his  career  you  find  at  once  great  variety  and  yet  underlying 
unity.  His  first  appeal  to  the  people  is  that  of  a  somewhat  rough 
man.  Then  you  pass  on  to  the  period  when  his  style  has  some- 
thing of  the  pretentiousness  of  the  self-educated  man,  until  at  last 
you  reach  the  period  when  his  utterances  have  the  noble  simplicity 
of  the  great  masterpieces  of  literature. 

There  has  been  a  strange  theory  that  there  were  two  Lincolns, 
and  that  it  is  impossible  to  account  for  the  Lincoln  of  the  white 
house  and  the  Lincoln  of  Springfield.  Coupled  with  this  there 
has  been  much  said  about  the  defects  of  his  education,  as  that  he 
was  only  a  little  less  than  a  year  altogether  at  school,  that  he  never 
attended  university,  that  he  never  was  outside  America.  I  hold 
very  strongly  to  the  opinion  that  a  university  education  is  a  very 
useful  part  of  the  life  of  any  man,  for  everybody  ought  to  inherit 
the  wisdom  of  all  the  ages.  And  yet  in  a  way  I  would  not  have 
had  the  education  of  Lincoln  other  than  it  was. 

The  greatest  of  all  educators,  the  greatest  of  all  universities, 
is  the  education  and  the  university  of  life,  always  on  the  condi- 
tion that  you  live.  Lincoln  lived  to  the  utmost.  There  wasn't 
a  part  of  the  life  around  him,  there  was  scarcely  a  part  of  the  life 
of  the  whole  nation,  except  of  the  idle  rich,  of  which  he  did  not 
have  personal  experience. 

Like  so  many  millions  of  other  Americans,  before  and  since, 
he  had  to  work  with  his  hands.  He  had  to  ,try  storekeeping.  He 
had  to  travel  with  baggage  contained  within  the  narrow  frontier 
of  his  shabby  tall  hat  from  village  to  village  and  to  occupy  with 


124  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

his  fellow  lawyer  the  same  room  and  even  the  same  bed.  Men 
born  with  silver  spoons  have  occasionally  in  human  history  been 
the  leaders  in  the  revolt  and  in  the  liberation  of  the  plain  people, 
but  it  remains  the  general  truth  that  most  men  can  realize  the 
lives,  the  difficulties,  the  joys,  the  sorrows  of  the  plain  people  only 
if  they  have  been  plain  people  themselves. 

Imagine  a  president  at  the  white  house  who  had  to  ask  mil- 
lions of  his  countrymen  to  fight  their  fellow  countrymen,  to  die 
the  death,  to  pass  through  this  awful  struggle  of  four  years  of 
sanguinary  war,  frequent  defeat,  frequent  disaster ;  imagine  a 
president  who  came  from  the  rich  family  of  the  crowded  city,  and 
I  think  you  will  realize  the  greater  and  the  supreme  fitness  of 
Lincoln's  training  for  Lincoln's  task.  It  was  because  he  under- 
stood the  plain  people  that  he  was  able  to  get  the  plain  people  to 
go  through  so  tremendous  and  awful  a  strain. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  if  you  want  to  get  the  real  opinion 
of  the  real  American,  by  which  is  meant  that  vast  population  that 
lives  outside  the  great  cities,  on  lonely  farms  or  in  small  towns, 
you  have  to  go  to  the  popular  forum  that  gathers  around  the 
stove  of  the  rustic  hotel.  This  was  the  forum  in  which  Lincoln 
at  once  sharpened  his  mind  and  studied  and  realized  his  people. 
'Thus,  graduating  from  the  small  stove  to  the  big  stove,  from 
New  Salem  to  Springfield,  he  was  learning  all  the  time.  He  was 
graduating  in  his  university. 

When  he  burst  upon  the  east  of  America,  and  then  on  all 
America,  as  some  strange  unknown  portent  neither  the  east  nor 
America  had  a  real  conception  of  the  man.  To  them  he  was  a 
rough,  untutored,  unsuccessful,  provincial  lawyer,  trained  in  no 
arts  but  those  of  small  and  squalid  politics. 

"Who  is  this  huckster  in  politics,"  asked  Wendell  Phillips; 
"who  is  this  country  bred  advocate?"  But  he  learned  to  know 
Lincoln  better.  In  addition  the  ungainliness  of  his  person  much 
exaggerated  had  passed  through  the  country,  and  especially 
through  the  South  until  he  appeared,  as  Mr.  Morse  says,  in  his 
biography,  "a  Caliban  in  education,  manners  and  aspect;  the  ape 
from  Illinois,  the  green  hand."  There  is  a  story  of  a  proud 
South  Carolina  lady  with  fire  in  her  eye,  conempt  in  her  manner, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  125 

getting  an  interview  with  him.  And  when  before  the  gentle  face 
and  the  calm  and  passionless  conversation  she  was  subdued,  she 
expressed  her  amazement. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  always  every  hour  even  of  Lincoln's  hard 
youth,  was  a  preparation  and  a  forecast  of  the  Presidency.  He 
himself  thought  of  this  culmination  of  his  career  from  his  earliest 
years  and  even  in  his  earliest  years  he  began  his  training.  It  is 
recorded  that  while  still  a  child  he  was  in  the  habit  of  addressing 
his  boy  and  girl  companions  and  could  command  their  tears  and 
laughter  as  easily  as  afterwards  he  commanded  the  whole  nation. 

It  is  even  still  more  remarkable  that  those  who  were  brought 
into  immediate  contact  with  him  even  in  his  most  squalid  hours 
were  impressed  with  his  greatness.  Offut,  who  lured  him  into  the 
diastrous  partnership  in  the  store  at  New  Salem,  used  to  declare 
that  he  not  only  had  the  best  storekeeper  in  the  world,  but  a  man 
who  one  day  would  be  President  of  the  United  States. 

There  are  several  other  early  prophecies  of  his  future  great- 
ness. I  am  very  much  struck  by  the  fact,  too,  that  in  spite  of  the 
ungainliness  of  appearance  set  forth,  of  course,  by  ill-fitting 
clothes,  he  had  an  immense  power  of  immediately  impressing 
large  bodies  of  people.  All  his  biographers  relate  how  before  he 
addressed  an  audience  he  gave  them  a  long  look  from  those 
wonderful  gray-blue  eyes  of  his,  and  that  this  look  nearly  always 
produced  an  immediate  and  immense  effect.  It  was  at  once  a 
manifestation  of  conscious  mastery  on  his  part  and  realization 
in  the  audiences  of  being  faced  by  a  master. 

Those  who  didn't  know  him  to  be  great  were  either  those 
who  were  ignorant  of  him  altogether  or  who,  as  is  said  to  have 
been  the  case,  were  themselves  too  small  to  realize  his  greatness. 
His  greatness  at  the  White  House  was  but  the  flowering  of  the 
seed  that  had  been  germinating  in  the  days  of  his  sad  childhood 
and  squalid  youth. 

Lincoln  lived,  moved  and  had  his  being  in  the  city  partly 
southern  in  its  geographical  situation,  intensely  southern  in  the 
sympathy  of  many  of  its  people.  Lincoln  had  almost  every  hour 
of  the  terrible  four  years  of  the  Civil  War  to  face  division  of 
opinion  in  almost  every  section  of  the  country.  Consequently 


126  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

even  after  he  had  apparently  reached  safe  ground  he  found  the 
ground  trembling  and  sinking  under  his  feet.  Among  old  political 
foes  he  found  so  grotesque  a  creature  as  Vallandigham  of  Ohio 
rise  to  a  formidable  enemy.  Horace  Greeley,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  policy  of  emancipation,  was  weeping  or  appealing  or  de- 
nouncing at  every  critical  hour. 

This  was  the  atmosphere  of  vituperation  and  disparagement, 
of  disunion  and  false  sentiment  in  which  he  lived  from  the  first 
hour  when  a  disgusted  and  supercilious  Washington  gave  a  scant 
welcome  to  this  western  man  of  the  people.  My  friend,  Ward 
Lamon,  from  among  his  very  valuable  records  of  the  period  showed 
me  some  of  the  attacks  of  papers,  the  brutality  of  which  give  me 
a  shudder  that  recurs  whenever  I  recall  it.  In  times  of  war  pas- 
sionate and  malignant  rumor  is  busier  and  more  fertile  than  in 
times  of  peace.  There  wasn't  a  step  or  a  word  of  Lincoln's  that 
wasn't  scrutinized,  misinterpreted,  misrepresented  by  tens  of 
thousands  of  malignant  eyes. 

Don't  suppose  because  you  laugh  at  these  things  today  that 
Lincoln  could  laugh  at  them.  He  had  the  courage  to  go  steadily 
on  his  way  in  spite  of  them  all,  but  he  went  with  bleeding  heart 
and  bleeding  feet  through  that  road  of  Golgotha.  He  was,  as  I 
have  said,  an  intensely  impressionable  man,  looking  for  the  love 
in  others  that  he  gave  to  others,  and  we  everywhere  find  upon  him 
this  hideous  array  of  ignorant,  rancorous  and  unscrupulous  attack. 

Have  you  ever,  in  thinking  of  the  day  of  Appomattox, 
thought  of  the  days  that  preceded  them,  the  days  after  Bull  Eun 
and  Fredericksburg  ?  I  own  that  as  I  read  the  descriptions  of 
his  contemporaries  of  that  face,  drawn,  aged,  gray  as  the  gray 
walls  of  the  chambers  of  the  White  House,  with  sleepless  nights 
and  days  overhung  with  the  hereditary  gloom  aggravated  by  all 
the  anxiety  and  bloodshed  and  horrors,  Abraham  Lincoln  appears 
to  me  as  pre-eminently  the  greatest  man  of  sorrows  since  he  to 
whom  that  title  was  first  given. 

There  never  was  a  moment  in  the  history  of  this  country 
since  the  death  of  the  illustrious  man,  by  whose  ashes  we  stand 
today,  when  the  inspiration  and  lessons  of  his  life  are  more 
needed  by  his  people  and  his  country.  As  a  man,  he  stands  as 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  127 

much  alive  as  though  he  were  still  among  us.  He  is  a  flaming 
torch  which  leads  on  the  inner  soul  of  every  American,  whether 
he  is  standing  by  the  honor  of  his  country  in  his  work  at  home 
or  marching  over  barbed  wire  trenches  against  shell  and  cannon, 
to  wounds  or  death.  What  American  can  be  cowardly  when  his 
courage  inspires,  What  American  be  selfish  when  his  utter  unsel- 
fishness is  recorded  in  every  page  of  his  history?  What  Ameri- 
can can  prefer  the  claims  of  ambition  or  party  in  face  of  his 
forgetfulness  of  all  personal  and  partisan  feeling  before  an  im- 
perilled nation?  What  American  can  entertain  or  tolerate  the 
very  thought  of  a  divided  allegiance  in  face  of  his  passionate 
patriotism  and  of  the  inflexible  resolution  with  which  he  fought 
for  a  united  nation? 

Some  men  live  by  their  writings,  some  by  their  glory  on 
battle  fields,  some  by  their  statesmanship,  but  there  are  rare  men 
who,  in  addition  to  these  great  title  deeds  to  immortality,  live  in 
the  memory  and  gratitude  of  men  as  an  undying  inspiration  by 
their  own  personal  character  and  life.  Such  a  man  was  Lincoln. 
Consider  him  in  any  of  the  many  changes  in  his  checked  life, 
in  private  or  in  public;  he  never  fails  in  your  expectation  of  the 
highest.  He  was  free  from  personal  animosity  or  vindictiveness. 
He  could  smash  the  subtle  logic  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  meet 
him  the  same  evening  with  a  cordial  outstretched  hand — a  splendid 
private  friendship  amid  political  differences  that  illuminate  the 
life  and  character  of  Douglas  as  well  as  Lincoln. 

In  forming  his  cabinet,  Lincoln  did  not  choose  little  men 
that  might  on  the  one  hand  be  subservient,  and  on  the  other,  by 
their  obscurity  concentrate  attention  on  his  central  glory.  He 
chose  great  minds  to  share  with  him  the  awful  task  of  saving 
the  Union — Chase  and  Seward  and  Stanton;  men  that  had  been 
his  rivals  and  that  divided  with  him  in  equal,  sometimes  in  even 
larger  degree,  the  affection  and  support  of  the  great  masses  of  the 
country.  In  the  friction  and  dissent  that  are  inevitable  in  even 
the  best  ordered  and  the  most  honorable  assemblage  of  able  men, 
he  always  said  the  right  thing,  always  did  the  right  thing,  could 
be  inflexible  in  his  own  opinions  and  respectful  of  the  opinions 
and  still  more  of  the  feelings  of  others.  Thus  he  was  the  greatest 


128  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

chief  of  a  cabinet  that  ever  lived  in  the  White  House.  The  sweet- 
ness of  temper  that  kept  from  his  lips  a  word  of  impatience,  the 
absence  of  even  one  word  of  self-esteem,  the  generous  sharing 
with  others  of  all  the  glory  of  victory,  these  things  make  him  the 
greatest  gentleman  that  ever  lived  in  the  White  House.  In  his 
choice  of  policy  when  so  many  things  were  to  be  said  in  favor  of 
one  course  or  another,  he  opposed  with  tenacity  and  patience  the 
opposition  of  political  foes,  the  indiscretions  of  friends,  the  mis- 
taken haste  and  narrowness  of  political  zealots.  Biding  his  time, 
choosing  his  own  path  to  the  great  end,  he  always  proved  to  be 
right.  Through  all  the  black  night  of  defeat,  amid  divided  coun- 
sel, factious  and  inept  opposition,  he  led  the  people  to  the  full 
sunshine  of  victory,  the  nation  united  forever,  the  slaves  emanci- 
pated forever.  Thus  he  was  the  greatest  statesman  that  ever  lived 
in  the  White  House.  Try  to  figure  this  man  as  he  really  was  in 
his  inner  heart  and  soul.  He  was  not  of  joyous  nature.  From 
hereditary  or  other  causes  he  was  a  man  who  lived  under  the 
overshadowing  gloom  of  melancholy.  There  was  nothing  in  him 
of  that  robust  love  of  battle  (as  in  General  Jackson)  which  trans- 
formed the  battle  field  into  the  romance  and  chivalry  of  the  per- 
sonal jousts  of  the  knights  of  old.  Still  less  was  he  one  of  the 
great  adventurers  of  history  that  find  in  even  sanguinary  deeds 
the  laurels  that  transform  them  into  a  Caesar  or  a  Napoleon. 
A  burden  though  it  was  to  him,  that  inner  sadness  has  always 
appeared  to  me  as  suiting  him  for  his  task.  It  made  him  kin 
with  all  suffering  men;  like  to  the  Man  of  Sorrows  to  whom  in 
his  humanity  he  bears  so  striking  a  resemblance,  his  message  is 
often  but  a  variation  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  in  its  plea  for 
the  poor,  the  righteous,  the  merciful.  It  was  this  sadness  and 
sympathy  with  all  men,  this  ever  present  inner  outlook  on  the 
transience,  the  griefs,  the  trials  of  human  life  that  lifted  him 
above  personal  vanity  and  personal  feeling.  Yet,  was  it  not 
strange  destiny  that  in  a  world  out  of  joint,  gave  to  this  man  the 
awful  and  tragic  task  of  waging  war  amid  changing  and  often 
black  fortunes,  through  an  unexpected  length  of  time,  amid  a 
multitude  of  horrors.  And  again,  does  it  not  raise  him  still  higher 
in  our  estimate  that  yet  he  went  on  to  the  end,  equal  and  resolute, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  129 

without  ever  listening  to  the  shouting  and  reproachful  world  out- 
side or  to  the  somber  forebodings  in  his  own  breast. 

In  thus  overcoming  others  and  in  overcoming  himself  in  this 
most  terrible  of  all  times,  he  was  the  strongest  man  that  ever  lived 
in  the  White  House. 

If  you  give  full  credit  to  all  the  brilliant  men  that  helped 
him  in  the  council  chamber,,  to  the  generals  whose  skill  won  the 
victories  in  the  field,  Grant  and  Meade,  Thomas  and  Sherman, 
Sheridan  and  Logan;  yet  the  supreme  fact  of  the  war  is  that 
Lincoln  was  the  man  of  men,  the  real  leader,  the  one  who  towered 
above  all  the  others.  And  here  again,  it  is  the  personality  of 
Lincoln  that  is  the  heart  of  the  mystery.  It  may  be  true,  as 
some  of  his  intimates  like  your  respected  and  venerable  citizen, 
Mr.  Bunn,  insist,  that  nobody  in  this,  his  town,  nor  in  any  circle 
of  friends,  dared  to  offend  his  natural  and  commanding  dignity 
by  any  address  more  familiar  than  "Mr.  Lincoln,"  yet  it  was  not 
as  "Mr.  Lincoln"  that  he  was  known  to  the  plain  people  and  to 
the  soldiers.  To  them  he  was  honest  Abe"  or  "Uncle  Abe"  or 
"Father  Abraham."  That  meant  that  though  hooted  at,  insulted, 
disparaged,  despised,  a  huckstering  politician,  in  the  words  of  a 
great  and  good  man  who  did  not  realise  him,  the  plain  people 
and  the  fighting  soldier  always  understood  him.  They  saw  through 
all  the  poison  gas  in  which  enemies  sought  to  cloud  the  glory  of 
his  character;  realized  his  simplicity,  his  human  nature,  his 
tenderness,  his  honesty,  his  single-minded  patriotism,  and  in  defi- 
ance of  the  intrigues  of  politics  and  the  misrepresentation  of  per- 
sonal enemies  they  re-elected  him  as  the  good,  the  true,  the  wise 
and  the  merciful  man  that  could  best  lead  them  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness into  the  light. 

Lowell  is  right  in  attributing  this  hold  of  Lincoln  on  the 
popular  heart  largely  to  the  fact  that  he  was  in  the  truest  sense 
of  the  word  the  first  American  that  ever  ruled  in  the  white  house. 
His  predecessors  were,  of  course,  as  good  Americans  as  he,  but, 
perhaps  with  the  exception  of  General  Jackson,  they  were  courtly 
gentlemen  who  had  been  born  in  easy  circumstances  and  refined 
homes.  He  was  a  man  who  had  led  the  life  of  the  frontier  pio- 
— 9  C  C 


130  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

neer,  who  had  fought  the  primeval  fight  of  man  with  nature,  who 
had  helped  to  gather  in  a  portion  of  the  wild  and  untilled  heritage 
that  nature  had  given  to  America.  He  was  a  man  who  had  worked 
for  small  daily  wage,  with  literally  horny  hands  and  "been  forced 
to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  life  to  make  a  scanty  living.  He 
had  dwelt  among  the  real  fathers  of  America — the  fathers  who, 
though  they  have  not  written  constitutions  or  Declarations  of  In- 
dependence, have  in  wild  and  remote  settlements  in  the  solitude 
of  forest  and  virgin  soil  brought  into  heing  the  great  America  of 
today. 

Lincoln  was  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word  the  self-made  man, 
and  the  self-made  man  is  the  typical  American.  Of  the  energy, 
the  self-reliance,  the  simplicity  and  the  stern  straight-forwardness 
which  are  still  the  spiritual  foundations  of  American  character, 
Lincoln  was  the  embodiment.  He  was  the  embodiment  of  the 
other  characteristics  of  the  genuine  American.  Lowly,  almost 
squalid  in  his  birth  and  upbringing,  poor  all  his  life,  child  of  the 
lonely  cabin  in  the  prairie,  who  wielded  with  his  own  hand  the 
axe  and  the  plow ;  how  in  the  small  rural  store  of  the  village,  then 
in  the  ill-paid  postoffice,  the  country  lawyer,  traveling  with  a  small 
equipment  of  baggage,  and  willing  to  share  a  bedroom  with  a 
friend,  yet  Lincoln  became  the  gentleman  in  manner  and  appear- 
ance, in  speech  and  demeanor  as  well  as  in  the  higher  spiritual 
gifts  of  the  soul.  What  nation  could  produce  its  greatest  citizen 
out  of  such  modest  material  but  a  Eepublic,  which  teaches  to  all 
its  children,  from  their  earliest  hours,  the  equality,  the  pride,  the 
self-reliance,  the  dignity  that  are  the  birthright  of  every  child  of 
a  Eepublic?  Thus  the  American  people  recognized  in  Lincoln 
not  only  the  embodiment  but  the  vindication  of  their  institutions. 
Thus  Lincoln  was  the  greatest  and  most  genuine  American  that 
ever  lived  in  the  white  house. 

Again,  Lincoln  is  the  most  marvelous  example  of  the  easy 
and  instinctive  self-development  of  the  child  of  the  American 
Eepublic.  Scanty  in  schooling,  poor  in  the  learning  of  the  ages 
and  the  books,  he  produced  speeches  and  writings  that  in  their 
simplicity,  their  choice  of  the  right  word,  their  directness,  their 
measured  eloquence,  are  as  much  masterpieces  of  literature  as  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  131 

dialogues  of  Plato  or  the  orations  of  Demosthenes.  And  so  Lin- 
coln was  the  greatest  man  of  letters  that  ever  lived  in  the  White 
House. 

Finally,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  storms  of  his  day,  while  others 
raged,  he  did  not  rage,  while  others  hated,  he  did  not  hate,  while 
others  cried  for  vengeance,  he  preached  forgiveness.  He  was  thus 
the  greatest  Christian  that  ever  lived  in  the  White  House. 

Such,  then,  was  the  man.  What  of  his  gospel,  and  especially 
what  of  his  gospel  as  applied  to  the  position  of  Lincoln's  country 
today?  Can  any  man  doubt  where  he  would  stand  if  in  the  crisis 
through  which  his  country  is  now  passing  he  was  still  its  ruler? 

His  attitude  with  regard  to  the  problems  of  his  country  today 
can  be  ascertained  almost  as  clearly  as  if  he  were  still  alive — still 
at  the  White  House;  indeed  so  clear  is  this  that  you  can  pick  a 
text  in  absolutely  his  own  words  that  meets  every  problem — that 
answers  every  question — that  rouses  every  hope,  and  dissipates 
every  apprehension  of  the  hour. 

Do  you  think  that  America  could  remain  free  while  Europe 
was  enslaved?  Then  the  voice  of  Lincoln  comes  to  you  with  the 
words  "This  'Government  cannot  endure  permanently  half  slave 
and  half  free." 

Have  you  any  doubt  as  to  the  justice  of  President  Wilson's 
demand  that  nations  shall  have  the  right  of  choosing  their  gov- 
ernment and  shaping  their  own  destinies?  Listen  to  Lincoln. 
Lincoln's  words :  "What  I  do  say  is — that  no  man  is  good  enough 
to  govern  another  man  without  that  other's  consent,"  or  listen 
again  to  the  passage  which  though  applied  to  the  extinct  slavery 
of  the  New  World  is  still  applicable  to  the  existing  slavery  which 
Germany  imposes  and  seeks  to  extend  on  the  world  today :  "When 
the  white  man  governs  himself  that  is  self-government;  but  when 
he  governs  himself  and  also  governs  another  man  that  is  despo- 
tism." 

When  President  Wilson  addressed  his  appeal  to  the  masses 
of  Germany  he  might  have  quoted  from  Lincoln  the  words,  "Those 
who  deny  freedom  to  others  deserve  it  not  for  themselves  and 
under  a  just  God  cannot  long  retain  it." 


132 

If  you  want  the  summing  up  of  the  issue  between  your  nation 
and  the  Hohenzollerns  here  it  is  again  in  the  precise  words  of 
Lincoln:  "Two  principles  have  stood  face  to  face  from  the  be- 
ginning of  time  and  will  ever  continue  to  struggle — the  one  is 
the  common  right  of  humanity  and  the  other  is  the  divine  right 
of  the  kings." 

Could  your  task  be  better  expressed  than  in  these  words :  "It 
has  been  said  of  the  world's  history  hitherto  that  might  makes 
right.  It  is  for  us  and  for  our  times  to  reverse  the  maxim  and 
to  show  that  right  makes  might." 

And  finally  if  throughout  a  struggle  which  may  be  prolonged 
and  must  be  checkered  there  be  any  faint  hearted  enough  to  think 
that  you  should  end  the  struggle  in  an  indecisive  peace,  let  them 
go  back  to  Lincoln  and  study  his  attitude  in  the  hour  of  America's 
greatest  tribulation.  Here  was  a  man  distinguished  above  other 
men  by  his  tenderness,  pity  and  love ;  tenderness,  pity  and  love 
not  bounded  by  even  human  beings  but  extended  to  animals;  so 
hateful  of  even  necessary  punishment  that  over  and  over  again  we 
have  the  phrase  of  bursting  relief,  "Give  me  that  pen,"  as  he 
rushes  to  sign  a  pardon.  So  considerate  even  in  a  time  of  frenzied 
passion,  violent  hate  and  boundless  and  cruel  abuse  as  to  be  able 
to  say  "I  have  not  willingly  planted  a  thorn  in  any  man's  bosom." 

Assailed,  denounced  wildly,  importuned  incessantly  by  the 
Horace  Greeleys  and  other  humane  but  unwise  adherents  of  the 
unfinished  work,  think  of  all  this  in  Lincoln's  life  and  then  see 
the  inflexible  tenacity  with  which  he  went  through  all  the  bloody 
horrors  and  often  the  unmitigated  gloom  of  the  Civil  War  to  the 
end.  "War,"  he  said,  "has  been  made  and  continues  to  be  an 
indispensable  means  to  the  end."  Or  take  the  words,  "I  hope 
peace  will  come  soon,  and  so  come  as  to  be  worth,  the  keeping  in 
all  future  time." 

Or  finally,  take  these  words,  which  are  almost  like  the  thunder 
from  Mount  Sinai: 

"The  fight  must  go  on.  The  cause  of  civil  liberty  must  not  be 
surrendered  at  the  end  of  one  or  even  one  hundred  defeats." 

The  spirit  then  of  Lincoln  is  the  spirit  of  Wilson.  Higher 
indeed  than  the  spirit  of  Lincoln  or  Wilson  or  Washington  is  the 


133 

spirit  of  the  American  people— that  people  with  all  the  vast  changes 
brought  about  by  all  the  flowing  tides  of  immigration  from  ail  the 
races  of  the  world  remains  one  in  purpose,  in  fundamental  convic- 
tion; in  essential  ideals;  in  temperament.  This  nation  founded 
by  men  who  abandoned  home  and  property  and  safety  and  sought 
over  tempestuous  seas  new  and  unknown  homes  to  flee  from  tyranny 
remain  the  unconquerable  enemies  of  tyranny.  The  spirit  of  the 
signatories  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  is  still  the  spirit  of 
America.  It  is  the  children  of  their  loins  and  of  their  ideals  that 
are  the  governing  spiritual  and  political  forces  of  the  nation. 

Today  the  problem  is  different  and  yet  essentially  the  same 
as  brought  the  men  and  women  to  Plymouth  Rock.  They  sought 
liberty  instead  of  slavery  of  the  Old  World — today  they  are  giving 
back  to  the  Old  World  the  liberty  which  they  established  in  the 
New. 

Like  the  Man  of  Sorrow,  he  drank  the  chalice  in  his  garden 
of  Gethsemane  to  its  dregs,  though  often  he  wished  that  it  might 
pass  away.  Like  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  no  cruelty  would  make 
him  cruel.  No  undeserved  suffering  could  make  him  hard.  To 
his  last  hour  and  last  words  he  remained  the  Abraham  Lincoln 
known  in  his  childhood — tender,  understanding,  compassionate. 
Ever  throughout  all  his  messages  the  grim  and  inflexible  resolu- 
tion to  fight  on  to  the  end  is  interspersed  with  appeals  to  reason 
and  to  mercy.  Throughout  it  all  there  is  the  refrain,  "with  malice 
toward  none,  with  charity  to  all." 

It  was  mete  that  the  day  of  such  a  man's  taking  off  should  be 
Good  Friday.  Tragic,  horrible  as  was  his  assassination  at  such  an 
hour,  would  it  have  been  better  for  the  world  if  it  had  been  other- 
wise? Would  he  be  today  that  powerful  inspiration  to  all  of  us, 
to  patriotism,  towards  firmness  in  the  right,  towards  the  noble 
life  and  the  noble  death  if  he  had  not  so  died?  Today  his  coun- 
try and  we  are  face  to  face  again  with  an  imperiled  nation,  with 
the  old,  old  struggle  between  liberty  and  slavery,  between  might 
and  right.  Though  dead,  he  speaketh.  Laid  low,  he  yet  towers 
above  your  armies  and  your  fleets.  He  is  your  invisible  and  your 
unconquerable  leader. 


THE  CENTENARY  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  ENABLING  ACT, 
APRIL  18,   1918 

The  official  celebration  of  the  Illinois  Centennial,  commemo- 
rating the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  passage  of  the  En- 
abling Act,  was  held  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives  on  April  17th 
and  18th,  under  the  joint  auspices  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Com- 
mission, and  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society.  Its  impressive- 
ness  was  deeply  felt  by  all  who  were  present  on  that  occasion. 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  joined  with  the  Illinois 
Historical  Society  in  an  interesting  observance  of  the  anniver- 
sary. The  celebration  began  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  April 
17th,  with  a  session  presided  over  by  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Historical  Society,  and  chairman  of  the  Cen- 
tennial Commission.  There  was  a  luncheon  at  the  Illini  Country 
Club  at  noon  on  Thursday  the  18th,  presided  over  by  Dr.  Schmidt, 
and  attended  by  Governor  Lowden  and  the  other  State  officers, 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  speakers  of  the  day,  and  other 
distinguished  guests.  At  the  same  time,  the  ladies  of  this  party 
were  entertained  at  a  luncheon  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  presided 
over  by  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  secretary  of  the  Historical 
Society,  and  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission.  Thursday 
afternoon  at  3  :00  o'clock,  another  session  was  held,  presided  over 
by  Dr.  Schmidt.  On  Thursday  evening  the  principal  observance 
occurred.  Governor  Lowden  presided  at  this  session. 

All  of  the  sessions  were  held  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives. 

At  the  Wednesday  evening  session  the  address  of  welcome  was 
delivered  by  President  Edmund  J.  James,  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  who  told  of  the  early  days  of  the  State,  and  of  its  import- 
ance to  the  Union.  Mr.  H.  J.  Eckenrode,  of  Richmond,  Virginia, 
discussed  "Virginia  in  the  Making  of  Illinois,"  and  Professor 
Allen  Johnson,  of  Yale  University,  delivered  a  most  interesting 
address  on  "Illinois  in  the  Democratic  Movement  of  the  Century." 

134 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  135 

At  the  Thursday  afternoon  session,  addresses  were  delivered 
by  Professor  Elbert  Jay  Benton,  of  the  Western  Eeserve  Univer- 
sity, Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Charles  W.  Moores,  of  Indianapolis. 
Mr.  Benton  discussed  "Establishing  the  American  Colonial  System 
in  the  Old  Northwest,"  and  Mr.  Moore's  paper  was  on  "Indiana's 
Interest  in  Historic  Illinois."  Professor  Clarence  Walworth  Al- 
vord,  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  editor-in-chief  of  the  Cen- 
tennial Memorial  History,  was  on  the  program  to  tell  of  the  "Illi- 
nois Centennial  History,"  but  because  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour 
his  paper  was  not  given. 

Following  the  afternoon  session,  tea  was  served  at  Edwards 
Place,  on  the  invitation  of  the  Springfield  Art  Club. 

At  the  evening  session,  Hon.  Louis  Aubert,  a  member  of  the 
French  High  Commission  to  the  United  States,  delivered  an  in- 
spiring address  on  the  relation  of  the  French  to  Illinois.  Governor 
Lowden,  in  introducing  Monsieur  Aubert,  paid  a  high  tribute  to 
the  gallantry,  the  bravery  and  endurance  of  the  French  nation 
in  the  present  crisis.  The  Centennial  address  was  delivered  by 
Hon.  Edgar  A.  Bancroft,  of  Chicago.  It  was  both  eloquent  and 
instructive. 

Following  the  evening  session,  a  reception  was  held  in  the 
lower  corridor  of  the  State  Capitol,  and  refreshments  were  served. 

Music  for  the  various  sessions  was  furnished  by  Mrs.  Gary 
H.  Westenberger  of  Springfield,  who  sang  the  Centennial  songs; 
Miss  Euby  Evans,  of  Bloomington,  who  sang  a  group  of  songs;  the 
John  L.  Taylor  Orchestra,  and  the  Temple  Boys'  Choir.  The  in- 
vocation was  delivered  at  the  opening  session  by  Eev.  William  F. 
Eothenberger,  and  at  the  Thursday  evening  session  by  Bishop 
Granville  H.  Sherwood.  Madame  Aubert  came  to  Springfield  with 
her  distinguished  husband  and  Mrs.  Edgar  A.  Bancroft  also  was 
present. 

The  Hall  of  Eepresentatives  was  beautifully  decorated  with 
Centennial  banners,  United  States  flags,  and  the  flags  of  the  Allies. 
A  large  temporary  stage  was  erected  across  the  front  of  the  hall, 
and  on  this  the  State  officers,  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
other  dignitaries  were  seated  during  the  celebration. 


136  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  celebration  of  the  adoption  of  the  Enabling  Act  on  April 
18th  was  very  general  throughout  the  State.  Schools  and  colleges, 
especially,  observed  the  event. 

The  program  for  the  official  celebration  at  Springfield  was  as 
follows : 

OPENING  SESSION — WEDNESDAY  EVENING, 

APKIL  17,  1918—8:00  O'CLOCK 

DE.  OTTO  L.  SCHMIDT 

President  of  the  Historical  Society  and  Chairman  of  the 
Centennial  Commission,  Presiding 

Invocation. Eev.   William  F.   Eothenberger 

"Illinois" Temple  Boys'  Choir 

Address  of  Welcome — "The  Illinois  Centennial" 

President  Edmund  J.  James 

University  of  Illinois 

Music .. .  .  .Temple  Boys'  Choir 

Address — "Virginia  in  the  Making  of  Illinois" . .  H.  J.  Eckenrode 

Richmond,  Virginia 

Music ..Temple  Boys'  Choir 

Address — "Illinois  in  the  Democratic  Movement  of  the  Cen- 
tury"  Allen  Johnson 

Tale  University,  New  Haven,   Connecticut 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON,  APRIL  18,  1918 — 
3:00  O'CLOCK 

The  Centennial  Hymn Mrs.  Gary  H.  Westenberger 

Address — "Establishing  the  American  Colonial  System  in  the 

Old  Northwest" Elbert  Jay  Benton 

Western  Reserve  University,  Cleveland,  Ohio — 
Secretary   Western    Reserve    Historical    Society 

Address — "Indiana's  Interest  in  Historic  Illinois" 

Charles  W.  Moores 

Indianapolis 

Music 

Address — "The  Illinois  Centennial  History" 

Clarence  Walworth  Alvord 

University  of  Illinois,  Editor-in-Chief  of  the  Centennial  History 

Tea  at  Historic  Edwards  Place  5  :30   to  6  :00   o'clock 
By  Invitation  of  the  Springfield  Art  Club 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  137 

THURSDAY  EVENING — 8:00  O'CLOCK 

THE  HONOKABLE  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  Presiding 

"Illinois  Centennial  March" Edward  C.  Moore 

John  Li.  Taylor's  Orchestra 

Invocation Eight  Reverend  Granville  H.  Sherwood 

March — "Freedom  and  Glory" .Edward  C.  Moore 

John  Li.  Taylor's  Orchestra 

Address — "A  Message  From  France" The  Hon.  Louis  Aubert 

Of  the  French  High  Commission  to  the  United  States 

Songs Miss  Ruby  Evans 

Bloomington 

Centennial  Address Edgar  A.  Bancroft 

Chicago 

Reception 

THE  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 

BY  EDMUND  J.  JAMES 

President  of  the  University  of  Illinois 

The  committee  in  charge  of  this  meeting  has  invited  me  to 
extend  a  word  of  welcome  to  our  guests  who  have  come  from  abroad 
to  participate  in  this  great  celebration,  which  we  formally  inaugu- 
rate tonight — the  celebration  of  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
admission  of  Illinois  to  the  Union. 

I  do  not  know  just  why  the  committee  selected  me  for  this 
honorable  post  unless  indeed  it  is  that  I  am  one  of  the  few  surviv- 
ing members  of  the  first  families  of  Illinois.  My  grandfather, 
on  my  mother's  side,  Rev.  Anthony  Wayne  Casad,  entered  land 
in  what  is  now  Clinton  County  on  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Trenton  in  the  year  1817;  and  moved  his  family  the  following 
year  to  St.  Clair  County  and  settled  at  Union  Grove  near  what 
is  now  Summerfield.  He  shortly  afterwards  removed  to  Lebanon, 
in  which  or  in  the  adjoining  districts  of  which,  he  lived  for  some 
forty  years.  My  mother  was  born  in  Lebanon  and  was  so  at- 
tached to  her  native  state  that  with  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
shopping  trip  to  St.  Louis  she  never  even  set  foot  outside  of  its 
boundaries,  though  she  lived  to  be  over  fifty  years  of  age.  My 


138  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

father  came  into  the  state  within  ten  years  after  it  was  admitted 
to  the  Union.  And  here  I  was  born  over  sixty  years  ago  and  have 
lived  most  of  my  life  within  its  boundaries. 

My  father  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  in  common  with 
the  members  of  his  craft  in  that  early  day  we  moved  from  one 
appointment  to  another  with  great  facility.  We  had  hardly  un- 
packed our  goods  and  stowed  them  away  in  the  parsonage  in  one 
town  before  we  had  to  pull  up  and  move  on  to  the  next  at  the 
order  of  the  Bishop,  or  the  earnest  request  of  the  parishioners 
either  in  the  town  we  went  to  or  sometimes  the  town  we  were 
leaving. 

It  is  sometimes  said  by  men,  who  like  to  point  a  moral  or 
adorn  a  tale,  that  Methodist  preachers'  boys  are  a  pretty  difficult 
lot  of  youngsters  to  get  along  with,  and  that  in  the  early  days 
at  any  rate  the  congregations  were  quite  willing  to  see  Methodist 
preachers  move  on,  who  had  a  considerable  number  of  boys  in 
the  family.  As  our  family  numbered  more  boys  than  girls  and 
as  they  were  a  somewhat  mischievous  lot,  that  fact  may  account 
for  a  greater  degree  of  moveability  than  was  characteristic  of  most 
families. 

However  that  may  be,  one  of  the  incidental  results  of  this 
continued  habit  of  moving  was  that  I  got  a  pretty  thorough  ac- 
quaintance with  a  considerable  number  of  different  counties  in 
the  State;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  acquaintances!1  ip  with 
settlers  from  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and  settlers  from 
the  extreme  north,  and  settlers  in  the  east  and  settlers  in  the 
west,  and  a  consequent  acquaintance  with  all  the  forces  which  went 
to  make  up  the  Commonwealth,  had  a  very  real  influence  in 
preparing  me  for  the  difficult  duties  of  the  position  with  which 
the  people  of  Illinois  have  honored  me  during  the  last  fourteen 
years. 

As  a  family  we  have  lived  in  twenty-one  different  counties 
in  this  State,  and  I  have  known  specimens  of  every  kind  of  human 
being  that  has  gone  to  make  up  what  we  call  the  Commonwealth 
of  Illinois. 

Perhaps,  it  was  for  this  reason  that  your  committee  invited 
me  to  extend  to  you  on  their  behalf  the  most  cordial  welcome 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  139 

to  this  initial  meeting  of  our  celebration.  However,  whatever 
may  have  been  the  reason,  I  am  very  happy  indeed  that  this 
privilege  was  accorded  me.  And  in  the  name  of  the  Common- 
wealth for  whose  Governor  I  speak,  in  the  name  of  "the  Centennial 
Commission  in  the  name  of  the  State  Historical  Society  I  bid  you 
one  and  all  a  hearty  welcome  to  this  great  occasion. 

The  Commonwealth  of  Illinois  has  ever  been  hospitable  to 
the  new  comer.  Lying  stretched  across  more  than  five  and  one- 
half  parallels  of  latitude,  embracing  within  its  boundaries  over 
four  degrees  of  longitude,  washed  along  the  entire  stretch  of  its 
western  front  by  the  Father  of  Waters,  touching  Lake  Michigan 
at  its  extreme  northeastern  point  and  bounded  for  a  portion  of 
its  territory  by  the  Wabash,  and  for  another  brief  stretch  by  the 
Ohio,  it  was  so  located  that  many  lines  of  emigration  from  the 
east  to  the  far  west  led  through  its  territory.  And  here  stopped 
very  many  people  who  had  started  from  their  eastern  homes 
along  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  farther  east  from  beyond  the 
seas  with  the  intention  of  going  to  California, — some  of  them 
because  they  were  bankrupt  and  couldn't  get  farther — some  be- 
cause they  got  stuck  in  the  mire  and  could  not  pull  out — some 
of  them  because  they  were  attracted  by  the  climate  and  soil,  by 
the  flowers  and  streams  of  the  prairie  state,  lingered,  entered 
land,  developed  it  and  became  the  pillars  of  the  Commonwealth. 

From  every  State  in  the  Union,  from  every  European  coun- 
try and  from  Asia  and  Africa  as  well,  scores  and  hundreds  and 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  human  beings — some  for  one 
reason  and  some  for  another  have  poured  into  the  territory  of 
this  great  State  and  joining  hearts  and  hands  have  built  it  up 
from  a  group  of  trackless  prairies  and  pathless  forests  within  a 
century  to  one  of  the  most  enviable  portions  of  the  earth's  sur- 
face— no  matter  by  what  standard  you  judge  such  portions. 

Whether  you  wish  to  measure  the  glory  of  a  state  by  its 
crops  or  minerals  or  fish  or  means  of  communication  or  banks 
or  industries;  or  by  its  schools  and  colleges;  or  by  its  churches 
and  its  religion ;  or  by  its  willingness  to  provide  for  its  dependents 
and  defectives  through  its  hospitals  and  asylums;  or  by  the  sacri- 
fices it  has  made  for  the  country  and  the  world,  in  this  case, 


140 

through  the  service  of  its  sons  in  southern  fields  to  preserve  the 
Union,  and  now  on  the  blood  stained  fields  of  France  to  preserve 
peace  and  liberty  and  righteousness  and  justice  for  all  men— 
no  matter  what  the  test — Illinois  will  compare  favorably  with 
any  equal  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  which  has  behind  it  only 
a  hundred  years  of  separate  political  organization. 

And  to  all  this  we  bid  you  welcome ! 

In  the  few  minutes  accorded  me  in  this  program,  I  do  not 
know  that  I  can  do  a  better  thing  than  to  call  your  attention  to 
the  peculiar  feature  of  our  national  polity  which  this  day,  whose 
anniversary  we  celebrate,  signalized. 

Here  was  a  great  extent  of  fertile  territory,  occupied  by  a 
very  small  population — some  of  it  not  occupied  at  all  in  any 
proper  sense  of  the  term — simply  moved  over  occasionally  by  a 
semi-nomadic  hunting  population  consisting  of  a  few  bands  of 
more  or  less  savage  Indians. 

Its  favorable  location,  however,  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  its 
mineral  wealth,  its  prairies,  its  forests,  the  wealth  of  streams, 
all  indicated  that  as  a  part  of  the  American  Republic  it  was  des- 
tined to  be  occupied  by  a  rapidly  growing  population  of  white 
people  of  European  origin,  traditions  and  culture. 

How  was  it  to  be  governed?  Up  to  this  time  it  had  slowly 
been  coming  under  the  influence  of  institutions  which  found  their 
origin  in  the  early  societies  of  Europe  and  other  lands,  which 
partly  unconsciously  and  partly  by  formal  governmental  actions 
had  been  imposed  upon  them.  For  a  short  time  before  this  date 
they  or  such  of  them  as  lived  near  enough  together  had  had  a 
certain  privilege  of  helping  to  make  some  of  the  laws  under  which 
they  lived.  But  such  law  making  was  only  a  matter  of  sufferance. 
It  had  been  permitted  by  a  Congress  located  far  away  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac  and  the  permission  could  be  withdrawn 
by  the  same  power  as  had  given  it. 

This  power  said  to  this  population  on  the  18th  of  April,  1818, 
you  may  now  draw  up  a  scheme  of  government  for  the  regulation 
of  your  own  affairs  and  if  this  plan  is  approved  by  our  members, 
does  not  violate  any  of  the  clauses  of  our  Federal  Constitution 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  141 

and  is  otherwise  in  harmony  with  our  American  tradition  we  will 
let  you  form  a  state  and  come  into  our  American  Union  of  States. 
We  will  let  you  send  chosen  delegates  to  both  houses  of  Congress 
and  we  will  give  you  the  same  position  so  far  as  political  privileges 
are  concerned  and  the  same  share  in  the  government  of  the  coun- 
try as  the  other  States  of  the  Union;  and  at  the  same  time  we 
will  give  up  all  rights  on  our  part  to  regulate  your  affairs  for  you 
and  we  will  go  farther,  we  will  undertake  to  guarantee  your  inde- 
pendence as  a  political  unit — not  only  against  the  possible  encroach- 
ments of  other  nations  and  other  states;  but  against  our  own 
interference  with  your  internal  affairs.  In  return  we  shall  only 
ask  you  to  do  your  part  as  a  member  of  the  Union. 

Now  we  have  become  so  used  to  this  process  of  adding  poli- 
tical units  to  our  government  that  we  seldom  stop  to  think  of 
how  new  a  device  it  was  in  the  history  of  politics  and  how  difficult 
it  was  to  introduce  it  with  our  system. 

One  of  the  great  problems  of  all  human  political  history  has 
been  this  very  one  of  providing  a  peaceful  and  efficient  means 
of  aggregating  human  population. 

The  ancient  world  in  historic  periods  seemed  to  have  dis- 
covered no  way  by  which  this  could  be  done  except  by  forcible 
annexation  or  conquest.  Of  course  small  communities  have  often 
united  for  purposes  of  defense  against  the  aggressions  of  stronger 
powers.  Families  which  grew  large  and  then  split  apart  some- 
times came  together  again  and  formed  a  union  of  tribes  like  the 
Jews. 

Rome  seems  to  have  grown  out  of  a  union  of  small  tribes.  Then 
it  enlarged  its  union  as  in  the  admission  to  Roman  privileges  of 
sister  cities  and  Italy;  though  this  process  was  accompanied  by 
long  and  bitter  wars. 

She  expanded  later  by  planting  colonies  of  Roman  citizens 
in  distant  territories  and  ultimately  extended  the  privilege  of 
Roman  citizenship  to  freemen  throughout  the  Roman  territory. 
But  all  this  was  accompanied  by  such  bitter  struggles  that  by  the 
time  it  was  accomplished  the  Republic  had  disappeared  in  the 
Empire. 


142  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  greatest  free  nation  outside  of  the  American  Eepublic 
— our  own  mother  country — has  not  even  yet  been  able  to  devise 
a  scheme  by  which  even  the  most  progressive  states  of  its  great 
empire  can  be  represented  in  its  highest  law  making  body. 

Canada,  Australia,  South  Africa  have  no  such  relation  to 
the  Government  of  the  British  Empire  as  Illinois  to  the  Federal 
Government  of  the  United  States. 

Now  this  device  was  not  adopted  in  this  country  without  a 
struggle  and  without  the  expression  of  grave  doubts  as  to  whether 
the  scheme  would  not  end  in  the  early  dissolution  of  the  Union. 

Many  of  the  States  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard  looked  forward 
with  fear  and  jealousy  to  a  time  when  the  Senators  fsoni  the 
newer  states  which  under  such  a  policy  could  multiply  rapidly, 
could  easily  outdo  those  from  the  older  states,  and  to  the  time 
when  the  center  of  gravity  would  be  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi instead  of  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

But  with  the  adoption  of  this  plan,  friends,  we  have  estab- 
lished a  policy  under  which  the  rapid  conquest  of  the  heart  of 
the  continent  was  made  possible  and  with  that  the  foundations 
of  the  republic  so  securely  laid  that  no  combination  of  political 
powers  could  shake  them. 

Now,  of  course,  the  conditions  were  favorable  for  the  easy 
working  of  such  a  plan. 

We  had  already,  when  the  plan  was  adopted,  under  our  juris- 
diction the  bulk  of  the  territory  which  we  ultimately  gained  this 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  mostly  open  territory — without 
cities  or  towns  or  for  the  most  part  even  any  white  population  of 
respectable  numbers. 

The  only  occupants  were  the  American  Indians  who  would 
not  adopt  the  habits  or  customs  of  the  whites  and  were  not  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  ever  increasing  tide  of  immigration. 

The  first  people  to  come  in  in  large  numbers  were  the  roving 
and  restless  elements  in  the  white  population  east  of  the  moun- 
tains or  the  energetic  and  progressive  elements  of  the  people  who 
had  been  thoroughly  broken  up  by  the  events  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  and  all  of  them  had  brought  what  political  ideas  they  had 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  143 

from  their  homes  in  the  Atlantic  States.  They  were  bourgeois  in 
their  notions. 

They  had  no  settled  population  to  overcome  or  to  be  swallowed 
up  by.  They  had  their  Lares  and  Penates  with  them  and  set 
up  their  family  altars  by  every  stream,  in  every  forest  along  the 
foothills  of  every  mountain  chain  and  finally  in  every  prairie  and 
speaking  generally  they  had  none  to  molest  or  make  them  afraid. 

They  were  men  who  could  and  did  build  states ;  held  all  terri- 
tory they  acquired;  and  were  ever  ready  to  acquire  more. 

The  disturbance  in  Europe  incident  to  the  Napoleonic  Wars 
favored  their  peaceful  and  undisturbed  development  and  threw 
Louisiana  into  their  lap  and  by  the  time  they  were  ready  to  seize 
the  northern  part  of  Mexico — no  European  state  was  strong* 
enough  to  prevent  it. 

This  device  therefore,  of  which  the  event  we  celebrate  to- 
night was  an  excellent  specimen,  might  not  have  worked  in 
any  other  country — though  the  development  in  Canada  has  been 
somewhat  similar — but  it  was  certainly  here  a  glorious  success. 

And  when  this  Great  War  is  over  and  our  Allied  armies  have 
entered  the  city  of  Berlin  and  the  wise-men  of  all  nations  are 
gathered  around  the  Counsel  Board  to  determine  how  the  world 
may  be  made  safe  for  democracy  and  how  justice  and  righteous- 
ness and  peace  may  be  established  in  this  war  torn  world,  I  am  quite 
sure  that  some  plan  of  world  federation  will  be  adopted  under 
which  any  nation  or  state  may  enter  the  federation  on  the  same 
terms  as  Illinois  entered  the  American  Union,  viz. :  a  constitution 
in  harmony  with  the  principles  of  such  world  federation,  a  promise 
to  abide  by  the  general  traditions  of  free  nations  as  expressed  in 
the  constitution  of  the  federation — and  in  return  receiving  the 
guarantee  of  the  federated  nations  that  she  would  be  protected 
in  her  local  self  government  and  independent  against  all  attacks  of 
predatory  kings  or  peoples  no  matter  how  strong  they  may  be. 

In  this  work  our  own  country  must  lead  and  give  the  decisive 
vote. 

And  Illinois  will  be  found  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  her 
sister  states  in  extending  and  guaranteeing  to  all  peoples  in  the 
world  the  privileges  which  have  been  hers. 


144  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

VIRGINIA  IN  THE  MAKING  OF  ILLINOIS 

H.    J.    ECKENRODE 

It  is  my  privilege  to  bear  the  fraternal  greetings  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Historical  Society  to  this  assembly  on  the  happy  and  au- 
spicious occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  one-hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  Statehood  of  Illinois.  It  is  also  my  honor  and 
pleasure  this  evening  to  speak  of  the  part  played  by  Virginia  in 
the  origin  and  development  of  Illinois. 

Illinois  has  been  often  called,  and  with  reason,  the  foremost 
commonwealth  of  the  "Union;  and,  as  we  see  it  today,  it  is  great, 
prosperous)  rich  in  material  wealth  and  rich  in  human  happiness. 
It  is  a  type  of  modern  civilization,  offering  all  that  seems  best 
in  twentieth-century  life.  But  it  is  not  of  the  present  Illinois, 
in  which  it  has  been  your  fortunate  lot  to  be  born,  that  I  am 
here  to  speak,  but  of  that  Illinois  of  long  ago,  the  Illinois  of  forests 
and  uninhabited  prairies,  of  Indians  and  wild  beasts — the  embryo 
Illinois,  still  unshaped  by  fate,  as  it  waited  to  be  born.  The  task 
is  mine  to  outline  those  prenatal  forces  which  determined  what 
Illinois  should  be,  when,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  it  became  a  com- 
munity of  civilized  men. 

Happily  there  is  no  tendency  today  to  begrudge  the  South 
the  credit  due  to  it  for  its  share  in  the  making  of  America.  After 
the  long  estrangement  all  parts  of  the  United  States  are  now 
joined  in  a  fraternal  love  and  fellowship  which  augurs  well  for 
the  future  of  the  nation.  One  of  your  finest  Middle  West  states- 
men— one  of  the  finest  Americans  of  the  present  generation,  in 
my  opinion — ex-Senator  Beveridge  of  Indiana,  in  his  great  work 
on  John  Marshall,  has  generously  acknowledged  the  important 
contribution  of  Virginia  to  the  development  of  America. 

In  the  publications  of  the  Illinois  Historical  Society,  which 
are  a  model  of  scholarship  and  of  the  book-maker's  art  as  well, 
the  great  work  done  by  Virginia  in  the  West  is  set  forth  at  length. 
Indeed,  in  recent  years  there  has  been  a  growing  tendency  all 
through  the  North  and  West  to  appreciate  at  its  full  worth  the 
part  of  the  South  in  the  moulding  of  the  American  nation,  and  a 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  145 

realization  that  without  the  South  the  National  life  would  be  the 
poorer. 

The  discovery  of  America  was  one  of  those  events  which 
should  help  to  confirm  our  faith  in  Providence,  even  in  spite  of 
the  fearful  turmoil  of  the  present.  The  discovery  was  not  only 
a  matter  of  supreme  good  fortune  to  mankind,  but  the  time  of 
discovery  as  well.  It  came  at  the  end  of  the  Middle  Ages,  in  a 
period  of  great  change  and  rapid  development,  when  the  influence 
of  such  an  unprecedented  happening  produced  its  maximum  effect. 
If  the  Norse  had  colonized  America  centuries  before  Columbus, 
there  would  have  been  only  another  feudal  Europe  on  our  shores; 
if  the  discovery  of  America  had  been  delayed  until  Europe  had 
come  into  full  contact  with  India  and  the  East  and  had  completed 
the  growth  of  the  new  civilization  which  came  into  being  at  the 
close  of  the  feudal  era,  America  would  not  have  so  greatly  in- 
fluenced the  life  of  humanity.  But  the  discovery,  by  enlarging 
man's  physical  world  by  vast,  uninhabited  regions  at  the  very 
moment  when  his  spiritual  and  intellectual  vision  was  enlarging, 
proved  decisive  of  the  future  of  the  race. 

At  the  end  of  the  Middle  Ages,  European  man  had  passed 
through  the  centuries  of  disorder  and  anarchy  following  the  de- 
struction of  antique  civilization  and  was  busily  engaged  in  evolv- 
ing a  life  which  embodied  the  germ  of  representative  government 
and  the  other  great,  distinctive  modern  ideas. 

Much  had  been  learned  in  the  Middle  Ages,  but  man  had 
suffered  very  grievously  in  the  course  of  his  hard  schooling. 
Political  and  social  caste  had  become  more  deeply  imbedded  in 
human  consciousness  than  at  any  other  time  in  human  existence, 
and  democracy  was  as  yet  almost  unthought  of.  Sir  Thomas 
More's  Utopia,  written  at  this  time,  seemed  a  hopeless  dream  of 
justice  and  equality.  Class  distinctions  were  embodied  in  law, 
and  the  chance  for  the  poor  man,  the  obscure  man,  in  England 
as  in  all  European  countries,  was  exceedingly  small.  There  was 
then,  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  America,  a  young  and  plastic 
civilization,  full  of  promise  but  threatened  with  destruction  by 
the  growing  economic  pressure  due  to  an  increasing  population., 
—10  C  C 


146  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Some  way  of  emancipation  was  needed  and  the  New  World  sup- 
plied the  need. 

When  the  English  settled  America — Virginia  first  in  1607, 
and  Massachusetts  a  few  years  later — they  brought  with  them 
the  ideas,  traditions  and  prejudices  of  medieval  Europe,  along  with 
the  priceless  inheritance  of  English  liberty  and  English  institu- 
tions. The  contemporary  accounts  of  American  life  in  the  first 
century  of  colonization  do  not  make  cheerful  reading  De  Foe,  for 
instance,  paints  a  dreary  picture  of  Virginia,  and  there  is  no 
hint  in  his  description  of  the  splendid  civilization  maturing  beneath 
the  surface  .  In  New  England,  too,  there  was  a  long  age  of 
religious  bigotry  and  narrow  living — of  smallness  and  dulness — 
before  the  New  England  spirit  gained  its  great  historic  growth. 

But  gradually,  in  the  vast  areas  of  America,  in  the  immense 
stretches  of  pine  and  oak  forest,  offering  breathing  space  and 
working-space  and  happiness-space  to  the  immigrants  from  crowded 
Europe,  a  spiritual  revolution  was  wrought. 

Every  individual  was  offered  a  chance  to  become  a  free  man 
— that  is  to  make  a  decent  living  for  himself  and  for  his  family 
without  a  master  over  him.  The  pine  forests  have  proved  good 
for  the  health  of  the  ailing  body;  they  are  also  good  for  the 
ailing  spirit.  European  man  came  sick  to  the  American  shores 
and  in  the  wild,  untenanted  woods  his  soul  found  healing.  He 
began  to  lose  his  age-long  class  consciousness  and  to  stand  erect 
and  free. 

The  English  in  Virginia,  favored  by  a  good  soil  and  a  kindly 
climate,  built  up  one  of  the  two  civilizations  which  were  destined 
to  grow  into  the  United  States.  The  other  was  developing,  at  the 
same  time  and  quite  independently,  in  New  England. 

The  community  founded  by  the  tobacco  planters  in  Virginia 
was  one  of  the  most  notable  and  influential  in  modern  history, 
by  reason  of  its  singular  charm  and  its  solid  merit  as  well.  It 
was  a  life  of  great  freedom  and  eminent  sanity  that  the  planters 
lived  on  the  beautiful  rivers  of  Old  Virginia.  The  spell  of  that 
life,  so  admirably  described  by  our  Ambassador  to  Italy,  Thomas 
Nelson  Page,  has  been  cast  over  the  whole  South  and  West.  Surely 
the  gracious  tradition  of  Middle  West  hospitality  is  Virginian  in 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  147 

origin,  and  from  the  same  source  comes  the  Middle  West  joy  of 
living. 

The  fine  tradition  of  English  constitutional  liberty  flowered 
in  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  which,  by  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  had  become  in  many  ways  the  foremost  legis- 
lative body  in  the  world.  The  modern  committee  system  was  first 
perfected  in  the  House  of  Burgesses,  before  the  House  of  Commons 
in  England  and  before  our  own  Congress. 

In  almost  every  way  the  House  of  Burgesses  was  a  model  of 
parliamentary  procedure  and  enlightened  legislation.  It  was  this 
House  of  Burgesses  which  first  perceived  and  resisted  the  sinister 
tendencies  of  the  British  government  as  these  became  manifest 
at  various  times  in  the  eighteenth  century.  It  maintained  clearly 
and  effectively  the  principle  of  constitutional  government. 

In  Virginia,  in  that  wonderful  period  between  the  close  of  the 
French  and  Indian  War  and  the  close  of  the  Eevolution,  American 
democracy  grew  to  fruition.  The  Virginia  planters,  far  freer  and 
far  more  generous  in  outlook  than  their  brethren,  the  English 
landed  proprietors,  willingly  adopted  the  ideals  of  democracy  and 
gave  them  practical  realization  in  the  government  of  the  common- 
wealth. 

It  was  the  great  democrat,  Patrick  Henry,  whose  name  should 
be  forever  dear  to  the  lovers  of  liberty,  that  first  openly  defied  the 
British  government  and  began  the  Eevolution.  It  was  the  equally 
great  George  Mason,  who,  in  the  Virginia  Bill  of  Eights,  laid 
down,  once  for  all,  the  principles  of  free  government,  and  who, 
in  the  Virginia  constitution  of  1776,  gave  the  world  the  first 
written  constitution.  And  there,  too,  was  Thomas  Jefferson,  the 
greatest  of  them  all,  who  wrote  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
and  changed  the  ideal  of  national  democracy  from  the  dream- 
stuff  of  generous  thinkers  into  that  governmental  system  to  which 
our  allegiance  and  our  lives  are  pledged. 

Virginia  and  New  England  together  lighted  the  fires  of  the 
Eevolution  and  brought  the  American  nation  into  being  in  that 
ever-happy  year  of  1776.  But  the  outcome  of  the  war  with  the 
greatest  military  power  of  the  age  was  doubtful;  and  even  if  inde- 


148 

pendence  were  achieved,  it  seemed  likely  that  the  United  States 
would  be  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

There  were  then  no  American  settlers  in  the  vast  region  be- 
tween the  Ohio  River  and  the  Great  Lakes.  A  few  Frenchmen 
were  the  only  white  inhabitants  of  this  region,  which  was  held  by 
British  garrisons  at  various  points.  If  the  year  1783  had  found 
those  garrisons  still  in  possession,  of  the  Illinois  country,  the 
ground  we  stand  on  would  be  English  soil  and  not  American. 
The  whole  history  of  the  United  States  would  have  been  different, 
its  promise  would  have  been  frustrated.  The  United  States  today 
would  be  a  second-rate  power  instead  of  the  greatest  and  strongest 
nation  on  the  globe. 

The  fact  is  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  all  Americans 
that  a  Virginian  preserved  our  country  from  a  thwarted  destiny 
and  gave  to  the  republic  the  incomparable  gift  of  the  Middle  West. 
Not  equally  well  known  is  the  share  of  the  Virginia  government 
in  bringing  about  the  fortunate  consummation. 

George  Eogers  Clark  was  one  of  those  immortal  men  who  see 
through  the  darkness  of  the  present  to  the  may-be  of  the  future 
and  so  save  the  world  from  the  might-have-beens.  Amidst  all  the 
distraction  of  the  Revolutionary  War  as  it  raged  in  the  East, 
Clark  preserved  a  wise  detachment.  He  realized  the  possibilities 
of  the  great  forest-covered,  Indian-haunted  West.  The  West  fasci- 
nated him  and  he  turned  from  the  opportunity  of  honorable  serv- 
ice in  the  Continental  Army  to  the  greater  service  of  claiming  the 
West  for  America.  He  dreamed  of  leading  an  army  past  the 
Alleghanies  and  driving  the  British  from  the  land. 

He  could  do  nothing,  however,  without  some  governmental 
sanction  and  aid.  And  where  was  this  aid  to  be  obtained? 

The  harassed  Continental  Congress,  at  its  wit's  end  to  keep 
the  Eastern  Army  supplied  and  equipped,  had  no  leisure  or  re- 
sources to  devote  to  so  remote  an  adventure  as  the  conquest  of 
the  West.  Clark's  one  chance  lay  in  the  favorable  action  of  the 
Virginia  government,  and  consequently  he  went  to  Williamsburg 
and  laid  his  case  before  the  authorities. 

Most  fortunately  for  America  and  the  world,  'Patrick  Henry 
happened  to  be  Governor  of  Virginia  at  the  time,  and  he  was  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  149 

farther-sighted  statesman  of  his  age.  When  the  young  Clark 
pleaded  with  him  for  his  great  idea,  Henry  listened  with  sympathy. 
He  then  called  in  consultation  Thomas  Jefferson,  George  Mason 
and  George  Wythe,  and  the  decision  was  made  to  send  out  the 
expedition  destined  to  conquer  the  West — surely  one  of  the  most 
fateful  decisions  ever  made. 

It  required  courage  on  Henry's  part  to  think  of  making  efforts 
in  a  new  field  at  such  a  time.  My  researches  in  the  Virginia 
Department  of  Archives,  which  in  recent  years  has  become  a  center 
of  historical  study,  taught  me  that  Virginia's  share  in  the  support 
of  the  American  Eevolution  has  been  greatly  under-estimated.  The 
records  show  that  through  all  the  early  years  of  the  struggle,  when 
the  North*  was  the  scene  of  invasion  and  therefore  weakened  in 
resources,  immense  quantities  of  beef  and  flour  and  thousands 
of  guns  went  up  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Washington's  Army.  Indeed, 
it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  that  army  could  not  have  kept 
the  field  but  for  the  aid  given  by  the  Southern  commonwealth. 

Although  the  burden  of  the  Eevolution  thus  rested  so  largely 
on  Virginia,  and  every  dollar  was  badly  needed  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  war  in  the  East,  Patrick  Henry  was  sufficiently  large-minded 
to  see  the  vital  importance  of  the  West  and  to  make  a  special  effort 
to  claim  it.  The  means  available  were  small  and  could  not  have 
been  otherwise  than  small  at  such  a  moment.  The  obstacles  were 
almost  insuperable.  Circumstances  and  men  alike  seemed  to  con- 
spire against  the  undertaking;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
unyielding  will  and  unfailing  enthusiasm  of  George  Eogers  Clark, 
the  expedition  would  never  have  set  out  at  all. 

But  at  last,  in  that  history-making  summer  of  1778,  Clark 
sailed  down  the  Ohio  to  claim  for  America  a  land  richer  than  all 
the  El  Dorados  of  the  imagination.  He  had  something  less  than 
two  hundred  men,  and  the  little  company  trusted  itself  to  the 
waters  on  rough  wooden  scows  which  were  without  other  motive 
power  than  hand-poles.  And  yet  his  small  expedition,  armed 
only  with  rifles  and  poorly  supplied  with  food  and  ammunition 
and  everything  else  needed  in  campaigning,  performed  one  of  the 
most  notable  military  achievements  in  the  annals  of  war. 


150 

That  little  band,  drifting  down  the  Ohio  to  the  West  through 
the  interminable  forest,  carried  with  it  the  destiny  of  America. 
It  carried  with  it  all  that  Virginia  had  inherited  from  England 
and  all  that  she  herself  originated  or  developed — it  carried  the 
English  law  as  applied  in  America,  the  idea  of  constitutional 
liberty,  the  fine  qualities  of  planter  culture,  the  democracy  which 
had  grown  up  under  Henry  and  Jefferson  and  Mason — a  rich  seed 
for  the  fertile  soil  of  the  Middle  West. 

How  the  valiant  handful  came  to  Illinois  and  conquered  is 
an  old  story — through  their  matchless  hardihood  and  their  bravery 
they  added  the  West  to  the  United  States.  When  Clark  raised  the 
American  standard  over  the  Illinois  forts,  the  crisis  had  passed 
in  the  fate  of  the  nation;  it  then  became  a  question  only  of  time 
before  the  United  States  should  expand  to  the  Pacific.  All  our 
great  advance  towards  the  setting  sun  was  the  logical  outcome  of 
the  American  conquest  of  Illinois. 

It  is  a  fact  most  gratifying  to  a  Virginian  and  flattering  to 
his  pride  that  the  first  organization  of  Illinois  as  American  soil 
was  accomplished  under  the  government  of  Virginia.  In  the  fall 
of  1778,  the  assembly  constituted  the  new  region  the  County  of 
Illinois  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia.  After  the  old  Virginia 
fashion,  a  County  Lieutenant,  John  Todd,  Jr.,  was  sent  out  to 
organize  the  county  and  govern  it.  Thus  a  Virginian  county 
lieutenant  was  the  first  civil  ruler  of  Illinois  under  the  American 
flag.  Todd  appointed  judges  and  effected  such  an  organization 
as  was  possible  in  a  territory  of  vast  distances  and  few  and  alien 
inhabitants.  In  his  letter  of  instructions  to  County  Lieutenant 
Todd,  Governor  Henry  struck  the  note  of  true  Americanism  as  by 
some  prophetic  instinct:  "You  are  on  all  occasions  to  inculcate 
in  the  people  of  the  region  the  value  of  liberty  and  the  difference 
between  the  state  of  free  citizens  of  this  commonwealth  and  that 
slavery  to  which  Illinois  was  destined."  Settlers  from  Virginia 
soon  followed  the  soldiers,  and  the  first  permanent  element  in  the 
life  of  Illinois  was  thus  almost  exclusively  Virginian. 

The  rest  of  the  story  is  familiar  to  you — how  Virginia  gener- 
ously resigned  the  territory  which  her  arms  had  won  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States,  to  be  the  common  possession  of  all 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  151 

the  states.  In  the  due  course  of  time — now  just  a  century  ago — 
Illinois  began  her  great  career  as  a  sovereign  State.  The  Virginian 
element  in  Illinois  has  been  an  honorable  one,  and  many  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  the  Commonwealth  trace  their  origin  to  the 
Old  Dominion. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Virginia's  share  in  the  making  of  Illinois 
was  a  most  important  contribution.  So,  too,  was  that  of  New 
England.  The  New  England  settlers,  who  came  by  thousands  in 
the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  completed  the  work 
which  it  was  Virginia's  lot  to  inaugurate.  Virginia  did  all  in 
her  power  to  fashion  Illinois  into  an  American  Commonwealth. 
New  England  sent  her  finest  blood,  her  keenest  brains,  to  assist 
in  the  building  of  the  great  State  of  the  Middle  West.  Here  the 
two  main  civilizations  have  blended  to  produce  the  typical  Ameri- 
can Commonwealth  and  the  typical  American  spirit.  The  rich 
Illinois  lands  drew  not  only  Virginian  and  New  Englander,  but 
Pennsylvanians  and  New  Yorkers  as  well,  and  men  from  all  the 
eastern  states  and  from  beyond  the  seas.  Here  all  currents  of  our 
life  met  to  build  up  in  the  Middle  West  the  first  distinctively  and 
originally  American  communities. 

In  the  Middle  West  the  process  of  nation-making  was  com- 
pleted. That  process  had  had  its  origin  in  Great  Britain  and  in 
Holland;  and  in  the  Atlantic  states  the  ideal  of  free  government, 
the  germs  of  which  had  been  borne  across  the  ocean,  had  grown 
to  flower.  On  the  Atlantic  slope  modern  democracy  had  its  birth, 
and  the  modern  attitude  towards  life  came  into  existence. 

But  neither  Virginia  nor  New  England  represented  the  last 
stage  in  the  long  development.  About  both  there  lingered  much 
of  European  custom  and  prejudice;  both  of  them  at  times  looked 
backwards  towards  the  European  shore.  Both  were  too  self-con- 
tained, too  marked  with  local  characteristics  to  produce  the  final 
type  in  American  civilization.  That  was  the  work  of  the  Middle 
West. 

The  very  names  of  the  East  are  reminiscent  of  Europe — Vir- 
ginia, Carolina,  Maryland,  New  York,  New  England.  They  reflect 
the  European  colonization  of  the  Atlantic  slope.  But  the  beautiful 
name  of  Illinois  is  novel  and  unmistakable ;  it  belongs  to  America 


152  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  to  America  alone.     It  breathes  the  thought  of  a  new  world 
born  in  the  free  forests  and  the  unfenced  prairies  of  the  West. 

In  1812,  the  London  Times,  in  commenting  on  the  victory 
of  the  Constitution  over  the  Guerriere,  spoke  thus  of  the  Ameri- 
cans: "They  are  of  us,  and  an  improvement  on  us/'  In  the 
same  way  the  East  may  say  of  Illinois :  "It  is  of  the  East  and  an 
improvement  on  the  East."  In  Illinois  an  American  community 
came  into  existence  which  had  no  direct  contact  with  European 
life — which  was  wholly  American  and  growing  to  maturity  in  the 
age  of  the  expansion  of  the  American  spirit.  In  the  Middle  West 
the  last  feudal  scars  on  the  soul  of  European  man  were  smoothed 
away  and  mankind  entered  into  the  full  enjoyment  of  modern 
life,  with  its  broad  democracy,  its  free  opportunity  and  its  hope 
of  happiness. 

It  was  the  part  of  Illinois  and  the  Middle  West  to  give  the 
"world  a  fresh  and  rich  civilization,  which,  it  may  be  believed,  will 
in  the  end  transform  the  world.  This  civilization  is  democratic 
but  it  is  also  more  than  that.  It  is  not  the  Athenian  democracy 
of  small  things.  It  is  a  civilization  which  has  vastly  enlarged 
the  prospect  of  man's  material  welfare.  Here  in  the  Middle  West 
agriculture  first  became  epic;  on  the  broad  prairies  modern  farm- 
ing machinery  was  first  used  with  effect,  and  the  world's  food  sup- 
ply was  increased  ten-fold.  It  is  this  largeness  of  life  which  the 
Middle  West  has  added  to  the  making  of  America.  The  Middle 
West  is  not  a  land  of  pettiness  and  smallness,  of  inertia  and  hesi- 
tation. It  as  a  country  of  broad-minded  men  and  women — of 
people  who  go  forward,  who  are  not  afraid  of  the  untried,  who 
look  towards  better  things  in  the  future  because  the  present  is  so 
rich  and  full. 

We  meet  here  in 'a  solemn  hour.  The  historic  civilizations  of 
Europe  are  dying.  Science,  art,  literature,  industry  are  perishing 
in  the  blood-flamed  horror  of  the  Great  War.  It  is  the  fate  of 
America  to  be  the  decisive  factor  in  the  struggle,  to  turn  the  even 
scales.  When  the  titanic  struggle  for  human  right  shall  have 
ended,  the  United  States  will  be  the  greatest,  richest  and  most 
civilized  country  on  earth.  It  will  reach  in  a  stride  that  manifest 
destiny  which  the  forces  of  life  marked  out  for  the  land  more 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  153 

than  a  century  ago,  when  the  Middle  West  became  American  soil. 
How  precious  American  civilization  will  be  in  the  wreck  of  nations 
and  the  downfall  of  races,  we  can  hardly  appreciate  as  yet. 

But  we  do  know  even  now  that  America,  as  great  in  her 
generosity  as  she  is  terrible  in  her  wrath,  will  be  the  hope  of  the 
world  and  that  the  stars  of  Old  Glory  will  shine  more  brightly 
than  ever  in  the  darkness  of  humanity's  night. 

The  place  of  Illinois  in  the  history  of  the  century  just  past 
is  a  great  and  honorable  one.  Her  share  in  the  achievement  of 
the  coming  century  will  be  even  larger.  Illinois  has  always  stood 
four-square  for  patriotism,  freedom  and  the  right  to  live  and  grow 
— for  all  the  higher  things  of  life.  As  never  before  the  nation 
needs  the  virile  democracy,  the  largeness  of  outlook,  the  open- 
mindedness  of  Illinois;  and  because  of  this  need  the  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  birth  of  the  great  Commonwealth  is  a  time  of 
congratulation  and  a  harbinger  of  good  things  yet  to  come. 


ILLINOIS  IN  THE  DEMOCEATIC  MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  CENTUEY 

ALLEN   JOHNSON 

In  the  month  of  November,  one  hundred  years  ago,  two  con- 
gresses were  in  session  four  thousand  miles  apart.  One  was  an 
inconspicuous  gathering  of  plain  citizens,  representatives  of  the 
common  people,  charged  with  prosaic  duties :  the  levying  of  taxes, 
the  appropriating  of  public  moneys,  the  framing  of  laws  for  a 
people  still  largely  raw  and  rural,  still  amazingly  ignorant  of  the 
vastness  of  their  own  country.  This  congress  sat  in  an  unkempt 
town  whose  public  buildings  had  been  burned,  only  four  years 
before,  by  an  invading  army.  The  city  of  Washington  was  barely 
eighteen  years  old. 

The  other  congress  convened  at  the  ancient  town  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  the  German  Aachen,  shrouded  in  memories  which  went 
back  to  the  Middle  Ages,  when  German  emperors  were  crowned 
in  its  famous  cathedral  and  buried  in  full  regalia  in  its  deep 
vaults.  The  ashes  of  Charlemagne,  so  tradition  said,  lay  under 


154  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

foot.  This  brilliant  gathering  was  attended  by  royalty.  The 
crowned  heads  of  Eussia,  Austria,  and  Prussia  with  their  entour- 
age were  present;  the  kings  of  Great  Britain  and  France  were 
represented  by  their  ministers.  These  three  monarchs  had  no 
mandate  from  their  people,  acknowledged  no  obligations  to  their 
people,  sustained  no  intimate  contact  with  their  people.  They 
were  bound  together  by  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  alliances 
in  all  history — the  Holy  Alliance  which  had  emanated  from  the 
strange  mind  of  Czar  Alexander  I  of  Russia.  The  unctuous 
phrases  of  the  pious  document  which  the  impressionable  Czar 
had  offered  to  his  fellow  monarchs  of  Austria  and  Prussia  might 
mean  much  or  little.  Metternich,  prime  minister  of  Austria, 
declared  the  preferred  alliance  a  sonorous  nothing;  the  English 
premier  referred  to  it  as  a  piece  of  sublime  mysticism  and  non- 
sense. Its  significance  in  history  lies  in  its  name  which  was  soon 
applied  to  the  combination  of  the  five  great  powers  that  met  at 
Aix-la-Chapelle. 

The  presiding  geinus  of  this  European  congress — the  domi- 
nating figure  of  Europe,  indeed,  for  full  thirty  years — was  Prince 
Metternich.  He  was  the  living  embodiment  of  that  repressive 
spirit  which  seized  the  minds  of  reactionary  rulers  after  the  fall 
of  Napoleon.  He  hated  the  French  Eevolution  with  perfect 
hatred.  To  his  mind  the  revolutionary  spirit  was  a  disease  which 
must  be  cured;  a  gangrene  which  must  be  burned  out  with  the 
hot  iron.  He  abhorred  parliaments  and  popular  representative 
institutions.  He  represented  perfectly  the  reactionary  spirit  of 
his  liege  sovereign  who  declared  the  whole  world  mad  because  it 
wanted  new  constitutions  and  who  crushed  remorselessly  every 
trace  of  liberalism  in  his  Austrian  domains.  Playing  upon  this 
common  fear  of  revolution  and  this  common  hatred  of  popular 
sovereignty,  Metternich  bound  the  five  great  powers  to  a  policy 
of  repose,  of  political  immobility,  over  against  the  propaganda  of 
liberals  throughout  Europe.  In  case  of  further  revolution  in 
France — that  storm-center  of  popular  unrest — they  were  to  unite  to 
suppress  it.  By  further  congresses  steps  would  be  taken  to 
cure  the  malady  of  revolution  wherever  it  might  break  out. 
The  year  1818  marks  the  beginning  of  that  repressive  policy  which 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  155 

sounded  the  death-knell  of  popular  government  in  the  Old  World 
for  a  generation. 

While  this  famous  congress  of  monarch-hy-divine-right  was 
setting  the  face  of  Europe  against  the  mad  doctrinairies  who  talked 
of  constitutional  government,  our  plain,  sombre-clad  congressmen 
on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  were  quietly  and  as  a  matter  of 
course  giving  their  approval  to  a  constitution  drafted  by  inhabi- 
tants of  a  distant  territory  where  the  native  redman  still  roamed 
and  where  primeval  forests  and  prairies  still  awed  men  by  their 
great  brooding  silences.  At  the  very  time  these  self-appointed 
defenders  of  absolutism  and  the  peace  of  Europe  were  leaving 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  our  national  House  of  Kepresentatives  was  vot- 
ing to  receive  Illinois  into  the  American  Union  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing with  the  thirteen  original  states. 

In  this  contrast  I  find  the  fundamental  reason  for  America's 
participation  in  the  Great  World  War!  And  now  once  again, 
one  hundred  years  after  Aix-la-Chapelle,  irresponsible  government 
has  thrown  down  the  gage  of  battle,  and  American  democracy 
has  accepted  the  challenge ! 

I  have  mentioned  Great  Britain  among  the  five  powers  who 
followed  the  lead  of  Prince  Metternich.  This  is  not  the  time  or 
place  to  explain  the  circumstances  that  made  contemporary  Eng- 
land also  reactionary.  Enough  that  even  the  Mother  of  Parlia- 
ments had  lost  its  true  representative  character.  Many  an  Eng- 
lishman felt  that  he  was  losing  his  political  birthright  under  the 
heavy,  repressive  hand  of  the  Tory  squirearchy.  Much  as  he 
might  mistrust  the  firebrands  of  liberalism  in  Europe,  he  had  no 
heart  for  a  policy  which  denied  to  a  nation  the  right  to  choose 
its  own  political  institutions.  And  it  was  the  silent,  indirect 
pressure  of  such  Englishmen  that  eventually  forced  the  British 
government  to  protest  against  Metternich's  doctrine  of  interven- 
tion. Eventually,  too,  liberalism  broke  through  the  tough  crust 
of  British  conservatism  and  achieved  the  reform  of  Parliament. 

It  was  in  these  days  of  the  un-reformed  Parliament,  when 
representative  government  had  become  a  farce,  when  the  common 
man  who  did  not  possess  a  freehold  worth  forty  shillings  a  year 
found  himself  a  mere  tax-payer  without  a  vote,  when  a  land- 


156  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

owning  squirearchy  monopolized  political  office  and  tabooed  re- 
forms, that  English  yeomen  farmers  cast  wistful  glances  overseas. 
Held  fast  between  the  insolence  of  wealth  on  the  one  hand  and 
the  servility  of  pauperism  on  the  other,  they  could  see  no  prospect 
of  relief  in  Merrie  England.  There  was  only  hollow  mockery  in 
the  name. 

Happily  we  are  not  without  direct  personal  records  of  these 
Englishmen  who  came  to  America  on  their  own  initiative  or 
that  of  their  fellow  farmers  and  mechanics.  As  they  made  their 
way  over  the  Alleghanies  to  the  prairie  country,  they  found 
America  in  incessant  motion.  U01d  America/'  wrote  Morris  Birk- 
beck,  one  of  these  plain  English  farmers,  "seems  to  be  breaking 
up  and  moving  westward."  He  was  a  correct  observer.  America 
was  on  wheels  or  on  horseback.  Conditions  somewhat  like  those 
in  Old  England  were  driving  New  Englanders  and  Virginians  and 
Pennsylvanians  in  a  veritable  human  tide  into  the  valley  of  the 
Ohio.  The  Commonwealth  of  Illinois  was  born  in  the  midst  of 
this  swirling  emigration. 

It  has  been  the  fashion  of  historians  to  ascribe  this  rapid 
westward  movement  to  the  lure  of  free  lands.  A  fundamental 
instinct,  no  doubt,  this  passion  for  virgin  soil  that  one  may  call 
his  own.  The  pioneer  who  in  his  own  clearing  between  the  stumps 
of  trees  felled  by  his  own  hand,  planted  Indian  corn  in  the  deep 
rich — illimitable  rich — black  loam,  was  obsessed  by  one  of  the 
deepest  of  human  emotions.  This  soil  and  the  produce  thereof 
was  his — his !  His  sense  of  individual  property  became  acute. 
Like  Anteus  of  Greek  mythology  his  contact  with  the  soil  in- 
creased his  might.  His  manhood  leaped  to  its  full  height  as  he 
brought  acre  after  acre  under  cultivation. 

Yet  other  motives  for  the  crossing  of  the  Alleghanies  played 
no  mean  part.  Man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone.  Birkbeck  con- 
fessed to  a  strong  desire  to  better  his  material  fortunes — to  "ob- 
tain in  the  decline  of  life  an  exemption  from  wearisome  solicitude 
about  pecuniary  affairs;"  but  he  desired  even  more  for  himself 
and  his  children  membership  in  a  democratic  community  free 
from  the  insolence  of  wealth.  That  is  a  recurring  note  in  the 
history  of  American  expansion — a  note  that  vibrates  as  passion- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  157 

ately  as  lust  for  land.  Deep-seated  in  the  breast  of  every  man 
whom  the  conventions  of  an  older  society  have  barred  from  recog- 
nition is  the  sense  of  outraged  manhood — rebellion  against  the 
artificial  restrictions  of  birth,  family,  and  inherited  wealth.  It 
is  this  eternal  protest  of  human  nature  against  man-made  distinc- 
tions of  class  that  has  driven  thousands  of  souls  into  the  wilder- 
ness. That  self-assertive  spirit  of  the  Westerner  which  at  times 
breaks  rudely  in  upon  the  urbane  life  of  older  communities  is 
his  protest  against  conditions  from  which — Thank  God! — he  has 
escaped.  Your  Westerner  of  the  twenties  and  thirties  of  the  last 
century,  your  Westerner  who  hurrahed  for  Andrew  Jackson  and 
bore  him  triumphantly  into  the  White  House,  was  asserting  his 
native  manhood.  He  was  the  living  embodiment  of  Carlyle's 
Everlasting  No. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  subtle  influence  of  American 
conditions  on  this  English  farmer  whom  we  have  chosen  to  follow 
to  the  territory  of  Illinois.  The  spirit  of  optimism  radiates  from 
his  journal — an  optimism  that  made  him  an  inaccurate  observer 
at  times;  but  the  worth  of  his  observations  is  less  important  just 
here  than  this  objective  impression  of  his  inner  mind.  It  is  as 
though  a  weight  were  rolling  off  his  heart.  He  breathes  great 
drafts  of  prairie  air,  stands  more  erect,  allows  his  eye  to  range 
over  the  prairies,  and  yields  unconsciously  to  that  sense  of  dis- 
tance and  space  which  has  widened  imperceptibly  the  mental  hori- 
zon of  three  generations  of  Illinoisans. 

I  find  my  thought  projecting  itself  forward  fifteen  years 
and  my  eye  catches  sight  of  a  true  son  of  Illinois  who  came  from 
the  cramped  valleys  of  Vermont  to  the  broad  prairies  of  the 
Northwest,  and  who  testified  to  his  own  mental  growth  by  tho 
not  very  gracious  remark  that  Vermont  was  a  good  state  to  be 
born  in  provided  you  migrated  early ! 

What  charmed  this  transplanted  English  farmer  was  "the 
genuine  warmth  of  friendly  feeling"  in  the  communities  through 
which  he  passed — a  disposition  to  promote  the  happiness  of  each 
other.  These  people  have  rude  passions,  he  admits.  "This  is 
the  real  world  and  no  political  Arcadia."  But  "they  have  fellow- 
feeling  in  hope  and  fear,  in  difficulty  and  success."  After  a  few 


158  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

months  on  the  prairies  of  Eastern  Illinois  he  feels  himself  an 
American.  "I  love  this  government,"  he  exclaims;  "and  thus  a 
novel  sensation  is  excited:  it  is  like  the  development  of  a  new 
faculty.  I  am  become  a  patriot  in  my  old  age." 

And  what  was  this  government  which  he  held  in  such  af- 
fection? He  does  not  name  it  but  he  describes  it  in  unmistak- 
able terms.  "Here,  every  citizen,  whether  by  birthright  or  adop- 
tion is  part  of  the  government,  identified  with  it,  not  virtually, 
but  in  fact."  This  was  American  Democracy ! 

Not  all  the  States  of  the  American  Union  at  this  time  were 
democratically  organized.  A  few — a  very  few — were  born  de- 
mocracies; some  achieved  democratic  institutions;  and  some  had 
democratic  government  thrust  upon  them.  It  is  one  of  those 
pleasing  illusions  which  patriotic  societies  like  to  indulge  and 
which  are  perpetuated  by  loose  thinking,  that  democracy  was 
brought  full-fledged  to  America  by  the  Puritan  fathers.  Noth- 
ing could  be  further  from  the  truth!  Let  us  face  the  historic 
facts  frankly  and  fearlessly.  Men  of  the  type  of  John  "WInthrop 
did  not  believe  in  social  or  political  equality.  They  would  have 
stood  aghast  at  the  suggestion  that  every  male  adult  should  have 
a  voice  in  the  government  which  they  set  up  on  the  shores  of 
Massachusetts  Bay.  They  shrank  from  those  levelling  ideas  which 
radicals  were  preaching  in  Old  England.  There  was  little  in 
colonial  New  England  that  suggested  social  equality.  Men  and 
women  dressed  according  to  their  rank  and  station  in  life.  Class 
conventions  were  everywhere  observed.  Public  inns  reserved  par- 
lors for  the  colonial  gentry ;  trades  people  went  to  the  tap-room  or 
the  kitchen  for  entertainment.  All  souls  might  be  equal  in  the 
sight  of  God;  but  one's  seat  in  church,  nevertheless,  corresponded 
to  one's  social  rank.  Learning  might  be  open  to  all  classes  of 
men;  but  the  catalogue  of  Harvard  College  in  the  17th  century 
listed  the  names  of  students  not  alphabetically  but  according  to 
social  standing. 

So  feeling  and  thinking  these  Puritan  patricians  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  Colony  indulged  in  no  foolish  dreams  of  democ- 
racy. Almost  their  first  precaution  was  to  raise  bulwarks  against 
the  unstable  conduct  of  the  ungodly.  At  first  only  church  mem- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  159 

bers  were  allowed  to  become  freemen  in  the  colony.  Only  godly 
men  of  good  conversation  should  be  intrusted  with  the  choice  of 
magistrates.  And  when  this  policy  of  rigid  exclusion  broke  down 
under  assaults  from  the  home  government,  property  qualifications 
were  established  as  in  the  rest  of  the  straggling  English  colonies 
on  the  Atlantic  seaboard. 

When  the  American  colonies  declared  their  independence  there 
was  not  one  which  did  not  restrict  the  right  to  vote  to  male  adults 
who  were  property-holders  or  holders  of  estates.  The  usual  quali- 
fication was  the  possession  of  a  freehold  worth  or  renting  at  fifty 
pounds  annually,  or  the  ownership  of  fifty  acres.  Under  these 
restrictions  probably  not  more  than  one  man  in  every  five  or  six 
had  the  right  to  vote.  If  democratic  government  means  the  rule 
of  the  majority,  then  these  thirteen  colonies  were  hardly  more 
democratic  than  Prussia  in  this  year  of  grace  1918 ! 

In  framing  constitutions  for  the  states  in  the  course  of  the 
Revolution,  the  fathers  followed  habit  and  precedent.  They  be- 
trayed little  or  no  concern  for  the  unpropertied  or  landless  man. 
They  followed  the  universal  rule  that  those  only  were  entitled  to 
vote  for  magistrates  who  showed  evidence  of  "attachment  to  the 
community."  And  evidence  of  such  attachment  consisted  in  the 
possession  of  property — preferably  landed  property.  Said  that 
typical  American  of  his  age,  Benjamin  Franklin,  uAs  to  those 
who  have  no  landed  property  *  *  *  the  allowing  them  to 
vote  for  legislators  is  an  impropriety."  Alexander  Hamilton 
voiced  a  still  stronger  feeling  when  he  contended  that  those  who 
held  no  property  could  not  properly  be  regarded  as  having  wills  of 
their  own. 

I  do  not  know  how  I  can  better  illustrate  the  tenacity  of 
these  political  ideas  of  the  Fathers  than  by  alluding  to  a  memor- 
able constitutional  convention  held  in  the  State  of  New  York  in 
the  year  1821.  Constitutional  conventions  are  milestones  on  the 
road  to  American  democracy.  In  the  deliberations  of  these  bodies 
are  reflected  the  notions  that  flit  through  the  minds  of  ordinary 
citizens.  Progress  and  reaction  meet  on  the  floors  of  these  con- 
ventions. 


160  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL.  COMMISSION 

It  is  the  22d  of  September,  1821.  The  subject  under  dis- 
cussion is  the  elective  franchise.lt  is  proposed  that  the  old  prop- 
erty qualifications  shall  still  hold  in  elections  to  the  State  Senate. 
James  Kent,  Chancellor  of  the  State  of  New  York,  is  speaking — a 
learned  jurist  and  an  admirable  character.  There  is  deep  emotion 
in  his  voice.  The  proposal  to  annihilate  all  these  property  qualifi- 
cations at  one  stroke,  and  to  bow  before  the  idol  of  universal 
suffrage,  strikes  him  with  dismay.  "That  extreme  democratic  prin- 
ciple wherever  tried  has  terminated  disastrously.  Dare  we  flatter 
ourselves  that  we  are  a  peculiar  people,  exempt  from  the  passions 
which  have  disturbed  and  corrupted  the  rest  of  mankind?  The 
notion  that  every  man  who  works  a  day  on  the  road  or  serves  an 
idle  hour  in  the  militia  is  entitled  of  right  to  an  equal  participa- 
tion in  the  government  is  most  unreasonable  and  has  no  founda- 
tion in  justice.  Society  is  an  association  for  the  protection  of 
property  as  well  as  life,  and  the  individual  who  contributes  only 
one  cent  to  the  common  stock  ought  not  to  have  the  same  power 
and  influence  in  directing  the  property  concerns  of  the  partner- 
ship as  he  who  contributes  his  thousands." 

Of  this  notable  speech,  another  member  of  the  convention 
remarked  that  it  would  serve  admirably  as  an  elegant  epitaph 
for  the  old  Constitution  when  it  should  be  no  more.  He  was 
right.  Chancellor  Kent  was  facing  backwards — addressing  a  van- 
ishing age.  And  yet  he  was  no  mere  querulous  reactionary  but 
fairly  representative  of  a  large  class  of  men  whose  reverence  for 
tradition  was  stronger  than  their  faith  in  democracy.  At  this 
very  time  in  another  constitutional  convention,  young  Daniel 
Webster  was  defending  the  property  qualification  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Constitution  of  1780. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  the  constitution  which  your  fathers 
drafted  one  hundred  years  ago  is  a  significant  milestone  in  our 
march  toward  democracy.  On  this  frontier  of  the  Old  Northwest 
was  born  that  spirit  of  self-confidence  and  self-help  which  has 
made  the  people  of  the  great  Middle  West  an  incalculable  power 
in  the  national  life.  It  was  as  inevitable  as  breathing  that  these 
pioneer  farmers  should  express  this  spirit  in  political  institutions. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  161 

With  firm  bold  characters  they  wrote  unhesitatingly  into  the  Con- 
stitution of  1818  these  words: 

"In  all  elections,  all  white  male  inhabitants  above  the 

age   of   twenty-one  years,   having  resided   in   the   State   six 

months  next  preceding  the  election  shall  enjoy  the  right  of 

an  elector." 

I  shall  not  pause  here  to  question  the  wisdom  of  permitting 
even  alien  inhabitants  to  vote,  nor  to  point  out  in  detail  why  the 
convention  of  1848  withdrew  the  privilege.  It  may  well  have 
been  certain  experiences  in  the  old  Third  Congressional  District 
which  tempered  the  democratic  ardor  of  the  constitution-makers. 
When  an  aspirant  for  congressional  honors  could  vote  en  Hoc  hun- 
dreds of  stalwart  canal-diggers,  fresh  from  Erin's  Isle,  it  was  well, 
perhaps,  to  call  a  halt.  These  laborers  had  in  them,  no  doubt, 
the  making  of  good  citizens;  but  a  residence  of  a  few  weeks  even 
in  Illinois  could  not  educate  an  untutored  mind  to  the  point 
where  he  could  make  the  necessary  distinction  between  an  elec- 
tion and  a  Donnybrook  Fair. 

It  is  quite  unnecessary,  too,  to  remind  this  audience  that 
suffrage  has  long  since  ceased  to  be  restricted  to  whites.  It  is 
certainly  the  part  of  discretion,  if  not  of  valor,  at  this  time,  to 
refrain  also  from  discussing  the  latest  extension  of  the  suffrage. 
I  hazard  only  the  prediction  that  the  same  democratic  forces  will 
ultimately  give  women  the  ballot  when  they  demand  it.  There  is 
an  insistent  force  in  this  movement  of  the  century  which  sweeps 
away  all  considerations  of  prudence  and  expediency.  But  I  have 
no  desire  to  handle  live  wires. 

Let  me  confine  my  remarks  to  the  far-reaching  historical  im- 
portance of  the  adoption  of  male  adult  suffrage  by  Illinois  and 
her  sister  States  of  the  Northwest.  The  reaction  of  West  upon 
East  has  too  often  been  overlooked  by  American  historians.  Not 
all  good  things  follow  the  sun  in  his  course.  Political  reactions 
are  subtle  and  can  often  be  felt  more  easily  than  they  can  be 
demonstrated.  Yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  theory 
and  practice  of  manhood  suffrage  in  the  new  states  which  led  the 
older  Eastern  States  one  by  one  to  abandon  their  restrictions. 
—11  C  C 


162 

It  was  the  new  State  of  Maine,  itself  the  frontier  of  Massa- 
chusetts, that  led  the  way.  It  is  no  mere  accident,  I  think,  that 
Maine  is  also  the  first  of  the  New  England  States  to  try  out  the 
initiative  and  referendum.  This  democratization  of  the  East  was 
a  slow  process.  The  nineteenth  century  was  nearly  spent  before 
the  conservatives  abandoned  their  last  stronghold. 

Meantime  revolution  had  broken  out  for  the  third  time  in 
central  and  western  Europe.  The  system  of  Metternich  had  been 
shattered;  the  repose  of  Europe  rudely  shaken.  For  a  time  it 
seemed  as  though  even  Germany  would  yield  to  the  assaults  of 
liberals  and  nationals.  Unification  and  constitutional  govern- 
ment seemed  within  reach  in  1848.  I  may  not  dwell  upon  these 
days  of  storm  and  stress,  of  shattered  illusions  and  futile  dreams. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  reactionary  forces  triumphed,  and  forced 
many  a  stalwart  soul  to  turn  his  back  upon  the  Fatherland.  It 
was  these  exiled  liberals,  these  "Forty-eighters"  who  came  to  the 
prairies  of  Illinois  and  the  Middle  West  and  made  common  cause 
with  their  brethren  in  the  struggle  for  human  liberty.  In  these 
times  of  storm  and  stress  we  do  well  to  remember  that  these  Ger- 
man exiles  became  bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh  of  our  flesh — laying 
down  their  lives  for  their  adopted  land  when  the  hour  of  destiny 
struck. 

Slavery  had  already  driven  a  sharp  wedge  into  American 
democracy.  Something  besides  the  freedom  of  the  negroes  was 
at  stake.  Men  were  asking  searching  questions.  Could  a  society 
that  harbored  slaves  be  truly  democratic?  Could  a  nation  which 
permitted  a  minority  to  dictate  foreign  and  domestic  policies  be 
termed  democratic?  Could  a  people  consent  to  refrain  from 
talking  about  a  moral  issue  at  the  dictation  of  slave-interests  and 
still  remain  true  to  democratic  traditions?  Must  a  democratic 
people  refrain  from  putting  barriers  in  the  way  of  the  extension 
of  slavery  because  a  minority  held  slavery  a  necessary  and  blessed 
institution  ? 

Two  stalwart  sons  of  Illinois  returned  answers  to  these  ques- 
tions— answers  that  were  heard  and  pondered  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  continent.  Men  then  found  these 
answers  contradictory  and  debated  them  with  partisanship  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  163 

passion  but  we  may  rise  above  the  immediate  issue  and  discern  the 
essential  agreement  between  these  two  great  adversaries.  When 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  asserted  that  no  matter  how  the  Supreme 
Court  should  decide,  the  people  of  a  territory  could  still  permit 
or  forbid  slavery  by  local  legislation,  he  was  enunciating  bad  law, 
it  is  true,  but  a  principle  thoroughly  in  accord  with  American 
practice  nevertheless.  His  great  opponent  never  challenged  the 
general  democratic  right  of  a  people  to  self-determination;  nor 
did  he  deny  that,  irrespective  of  law,  the  people  of  a  territory 
would  in  fact  obey  American  traditions  and  decide  questions  of 
local  concern  through  a  public  opinion  that  has  more  than  once 
in  frontier  history  ignored  distant  law-makers. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  stated  the  nature  of  the  irrepressible 
conflict  within  the  Kepublic  by  declaring  that  the  Union  could 
not  exist  half-slave  and  half -free,  he  registered  his  conviction  as  a 
great  democrat,  that  no  minority  can  be  suffered  indefinitely  to 
force  its  will  on  the  majority  when  a  question  of  moral  right  is 
involved. 

And  finally,  when  Lincoln  declared  that  the  decision  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of  Dred  Scott  could  not  stand  as  law, 
he  was  speaking  as  a  prophet,  not  as  a  lawyer.  In  effect,  he  was 
asserting  that  no  minority  may  seek  shelter  behind  the  dead  hand 
of  legal  formalism  when  the  moral  sense  of  the  living  majority 
is  outraged  thereby.  Even  courts  and  legal  precedents  must  even- 
tually yield  to  an  enlightened  public  will. 

These  passionate  days  of  the  late  fifties  followed  by  four 
tragic  years  of  civil  war  stripped  the  halo  from  democracy.  It  was 
seen  that  it  was  no  panacea  for  all  human  woes ;  and  that  existing 
American  democracy  was  not  the  perfect  goal  of  political  develop- 
ment. During  reconstruction  our  eyes  were  opened  to  the  perver- 
sions of  democracy.  We  saw  crimes  perpetrated  in  the  name  of 
democracy.  We  saw  stealthy  hands  thrust  into  our  public  treas- 
uries; we  saw  mysterious  interests  interposed  between  the  people 
and  their  government;  we  saw — in  a  word — government  slipping 
away  from  the  people  either  through  the  ignorance  or  incompetence 
or  connivance  of  their  chosen  representatives.  Democracy  has 


164  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

come  to  seem  to  many  men  less  an  achievement  than  a  hope,  a 
dream,  a  promise  to  be  fulfilled. 

Dante  compared  the  restless  Italian  cities  of  his  day,  with 
their  incessant  party  struggles  and  changing  governments,  to  sick 
men  tossing  with  fever  on  their  beds  of  pain.  There  is  a  similar 
instability  in  our  American  life  which  seems  to  many  learned 
doctors  a  symptom  of  disease  in  the  body  politic.  The  state  of 
Oregon  experiments  with  direct  legislation;  Arizona  with  the  re- 
call; Illinois  has  had  some  experience  with  proportional  represen- 
tation; every  state  has  tried  its  hand  at  reform  of  nominating 
machinery  and  regulation  of  party  organization;  municipalities 
have  set  up  governments  by  commission  only  to  abandon  them  for 
city  managers ;  Kansas  has  even  considered  commission  government 
for  the  state. 

To  my  mind  this  experimentation  is  a  sign  of  health  not 
disease.  It  is  of  the  very  essence  of  progress  that  human  institu- 
tions should  change.  Distrust  that  state  which  rests  content  with 
its  achievements.  Dry  rot  has  already  set  in.  These  restless 
movements  in  American  states  and  cities  are  attempts  to  adjust 
democratic  political  institutions  to  new  economic  conditions.  The 
machinery  of  government  was  perfectly  adapted  to  society  in  Illi- 
nois when  it  entered  upon  Statehood  one  hundred  years  ago,  because 
society  was  almost  Arcadian  in  its  simplicity.  Substantial  social 
equality  prevailed  under  rural  conditions.  Government  was  in- 
evitably democratic.  But  this  great  Commonwealth  has  long  since 
lost  its  Arcadian  simplicity.  It  is  a  highly  organized  industrial 
community.  Society  is  classified  and  stratified.  Governmental 
institutions  designed  for  another  and  different  society  must  be 
readjusted  to  the  needs  of  modern  life.  Yet  the  essential  basis 
of  democracy  need  not  be  changed  and  will  not  be  changed. 

In  these  days  of  carnage  and  unutterable  human  woe,  when 
democracy  suffers  by  comparison  with  autocracy  in  efficient  ways 
of  waging  war,  I  detect  here  and  there,  as  I  am  sure  you  do,  a 
note  of  distrust,  even  covert  sneers  at  the  words  of  our  chosen 
leader  that  the  world  must  be  made  safe  for  democracy.  Ladies 
and  gentlemen,  there  are  other  tests  of  democracy  than  mere  effi- 
ciency. I  am  prepared  to  concede — though  the  statement  has  been 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  165 

challenged — that  German  municipalities  are  better  administered 
than  American  cities;  that  their  streets  are  cleaner;  that  their 
police  regulations  are  more  efficient;  that  their  conservation  of 
natural  resources  is  more  far-sighted.  What  I  cannot  concede  is 
that  an  autocratic  government,  however  efficient,  can  in  the  long 
run  serve  the  best  interests  of  the  people.  Autocratic  government 
does  not  develop  self-help  in  its  subjects.  It  enslaves.  It  robs 
manhood  of  its  power  of  self-assertion.  It  denies  opportunity  to 
struggling  talent.  It  makes  subjects;  it  does  not  make  citizens 
of  a  commonwealth.  The  impotency  of  the  German  minority 
which  hates  Prussian  Junkerdom  is  the  price  which  the  German 
nation  is  now  paying  for  efficient  but  autocratic  government. 

There  are  two  tests  which  every  government  must  sustain, 
if  it  is  not  to  perish  from  the  earth.  It  must  not  only  serve  the 
material  and  moral  welfare  of  its  citizenry;  it  must  also  enlist 
their  active  support.  It  is  not  enough  that  democratic  govern- 
ment should  promote  public  contentment.  It  must  also  cultivate 
those  moral  virtues  of  self-restraint  and  self-sacrifice  without  which 
enduring  progress  cannot  be  made.  Citizenship  in  a  democracy 
cannot  remain  a  negative  and  passive  privilege  to  be  enjoyed; 
it  must  be  an  active  force  for  righteousness.  And  the  ultimate 
test  of  the  quality  of  citizenship  in  a  democracy  is  the  leaders 
which  it  produces.  A  brilliant  Frenchman  has  applied  this  test. 
Surveying  democracies  the  world  over  with  a  somewhat  jaundiced 
eye,  he  has  found  everywhere  only  the  cult  of  incompetence.  I  do 
not  so  read  the  history  of  American  democracy.  I  do  not  find 
"Eight  forever  on  the  scaffold  and  Wrong  forever  on  the  throne." 
Incompetence  has  often  been  enthroned  it  is  true;  mediocrity  has 
often  been  rewarded;  but  in  great  crises  the  choice  of  the  people 
has  been  unerring.  Should  we  not  judge  democracy  by  its  most 
exalted  moments  as  well  as  by  its  most  shameful?  Our  famous 
warriors  have  been  idolized  for  a  time ;  our  merchant  princes  and 
captains  of  industry  have  been  admired  for  their  cleverness;  our 
orators  and  politicians  have  had  their  little  day.  We  put  them 
in  our  Halls  of  Fame;  but  we  withhold  our  reverence  to  bestow 
it  upon  our  Washington  and  Lincoln.  There  is  something  chal- 


166  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

lenging,  thought-arresting,  awe-inspiring,  in  the  emergence  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  national  hero.  Here  was  a  man  who  de- 
scribed his  early  life  in  the  words  of  the  poet  Gray — "the  short 
and  simple  annals  of  the  poor;"  who  grew  up  in  your  midst,  a 
man  among  men;  who  entered  the  White  House  misunderstood, 
and  derided  as  a  "Simple  Susan;"  yet  who  became  the  leader  of 
the  nation  in  its  greatest  crisis.  You  do  not  honor  him  because 
of  his  intellectual  qualities  alone.  You  reverence  his  memory  be- 
cause he  embodied  the  moral  aspirations  of  American  democracy. 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  greatest  contribution  of  Illinois  to  the 
democratic  movement  of  the  century. 


INDIANA'S  INTEREST  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS 

CHAKLES   W.   MOOKES 

The  chief  event  in  human  history  was  when  the  Creator 
"caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon  Adam  and  took  one  of  his  ribs 
and  closed  up  the  flesh  instead  thereof,  and  the  rib  which  the 
Lord  had  taken  from  man"  while  he  was  still  asleep  "made  he  a 
woman."  We  are  commemorating  a  similar  event  a  hundred  and 
nine  years  ago,  for  when  Illinois  was  taken  out  of  the  side  of 
Indiana,  some  reluctance  might  have  been  shown  but  for  the  "deep 
sleep"  that  made  the  operation  possible.  Indiana  gave  to  America, 
as  was  given  to  humanity  in  that  primeval  creative  act,  what  has 
proved  to  be  gentle  and  sweet  and  strong,  the  queenly  guardian  of 
the  Great  Lakes  and  of  the  Father  of  Waters. 

Our  loss  would  not  have  been  so  grave  if  we  would  have  had 
the  benefit  of  the  first  survey  which  is  said  to  have  run  the  State 
line  west  of  Chicago  instead  of  to  its  eastern  borders,  and  Illinois 
would  have  been  but  little  better  than  any  other  interior  state  if 
your  northern  boundary  had  remained  at  the  south  end  of  Lake 
Michigan.  It  is  too  late  now  for  either  Michigan  territory  or  Wis- 
consin or  Indiana  to  claim  Chicago,  for  most  of  Wisconsin's  and 
Michigan's  business  men,  and  many  of  Indiana's  authors  and 
artists  have  become  loyal  citizens  of  the  Windy  City,  and  we  can 
not  call  them  back. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  167 

You  centenarians  of  Illinois  may  not  claim  all  the  credit  for 
your  hundred  years  of  Statehood,  for  Indiana  has  a  right  to  be 
proud  that  it  gave  Illinois  to  the  world  and  we  are  proud  with 
that  same  splendid  pride  which  in  this  year  of  war  hangs  its  star 
upon  the  outer  wall  to  attest  that  a  million  homes  in  America 
are  ready  to  lay  "their  costly  sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  Freedom." 
And  so  Indiana  has  the  pride  of  parenthood.  When  a  boy  does  a 
thing  well,  he  may  not  boast,  but  no  one  can  blame  the  mother 
who  glorifies  him.  As  will  appear  before  Indiana's  greeting  to 
Illinois  is  over,  our  claim  does  not  end  with  having  brought  Illinois 
into  being,  but  we  shall  hope  to  prove  that  much  of  what  your 
State  has  done  for  civilization  must  be  credited  to  the  neighbor 
state  upon  your  eastern  border. 

Only  an  expert  could  distinguish  between  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico,  or  between  North  Dakota  and  South  Dakota.  "It  is  hard 
to  draw  the  line"  as  the  boy  said  when  he  found  he  had  a  whale 
on  the  book.  Discriminating  observers  can  not  tell  one  Chinaman 
from  another.  A  new  state,  just  emancipated  from  the  chrysalis 
period,  whose  leaders  have  come  from  beyond  her  borders,  and, 
who,  because  she  has  had  no  great  experiences  in  sacrifice  and 
service,  no  crisis  to  face,  and  no  sorrow  to  bear  or  to  recall,  has 
not  yet  developed  personality. 

Three  thousand  miles  away  is  a  little  state  whose  Gethsemane 
and  Calvary  have  given  her  an  immortal  soul — a  personality — in 
whose  presence  the  nations  of  earth  stand  with  head  bared.  Within 
her  borders,  for  a  season,  are  encamped  an  infidel  horde  who  deny 
the  god  Terminus  to  whom  all  civilized  people  bow  down,  a  horde 
who  can  not  respect  a  nation's  personality  because,  in  their  gross 
materialism,  they  deny  the  existence  of  whatever  is  born  of  the 
imagination  or  of  the  spirit. 

The  essential  differences  between  Illinois  and  Indiana  are 
not  superficially  evident.  You  recall  the  discussion  of  this  ques- 
tion between  the  heroes  of  Mississippi  Valley  fiction,  Tom  Sawyer 
and  Huckleberry  Finn.  They  were  journeying  by  balloon  from  Mis- 
souri to  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  Huckleberry  Finn  was  not  con- 
vinced that  they  had  crossed  the  boundary  between  your  State  and 
mine.  As  they  looked  down  upon  your  prairies  they  had  seen  the 


168  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

same  rich  green  that  their  geography  maps  had  given  to  the  State 
of  Illinois,  but  beyond  the  banks  of  the  Wabash  the  wooded  hills 
and  rich  bottom  lands  of  Indiana  were  just  as  green,  and  Huckle^ 
berry  Finn,  who  remembered  that  on  his  map  Indiana  was  pink, 
lost  his  faith  in  all  geographers  and  mapniakers  and  became  a 
sceptic.  Huckleberry  Finn  was  'only  a  superficial  observer  or  in- 
tuition would  have  told  him  when  he  crossed  the  line. 

Indiana's  Centennial  Year,  1916,  was  a  year  of  self-dedication 
to  patriotism.  As  we  looked  back  over  a  hundred  years  of  serene 
growth  we  neighbors  on  your  eastern  border  came  into  a  new  state 
consciousness.  We  learned  the  inadequacy  of  Chief  Justice  Chase's 
definition  of  a  'state,  for  we  knew  that  Indiana  had  come  to  be 
more  than  "a  political  community  of  individuals  inhabiting  the 
same  country,"  more  than  "the  country  or  region  thus  inhabited," 
more  than  "  the  government  under  which  the  people  lived,"  more 
•even  than  "the  combined  idea  of  people,  territory,  and  govern- 
ment." We  were  not  merely  a  bit  of  land  staked  out  for  separate 
sovereignty,  not  a  political  fraction — one  forty-eighth  of  a  great 
nation — holding  its  attributes  in  common  with  forty-seven  other 
varieties  of  political  or  territorial  entities,  nor  as  Huckleberry  Finn 
yiewed  it,  an  irregular  splotch  of  pink  on  some  great  map. 

It  was  a  year  that  marked  our  emergence  into  soul-conscious- 
ness, when  we  came  to  know  by  insight  that  Indiana  had  person- 
ality, and  that  its  people  read  their  books,  thought  their  thoughts, 
and  worked  out  their  destiny  along  distinctive  lines,  and  was 
different  because  her  pioneers  and  her  later  leaders  had  given  to 
the  slowly  developing  state  a  character  "with  a  difference" — a 
personality. 

For  more  than  a  generation,  perhaps,  after  statehood  was 
given  us,  we,  like  you  of  Illinois,  were  actually  only  an  arbitrary 
sub-division  of  that  splendid  empire  which  the  fathers  had  dedi- 
cated to  liberty — the  old  Northwest  Territory.  It  was  not  until 
Abraham  Lincoln,  trained  among  the  Indiana  hills  and  matured 
on  the  Illinois  prairies,  called  America  to  the  colors  that  the  soul 
of  your  State  and  the  soul  of  Indiana  awoke  to  conscious  life. 

There  are  those  who  believe  that  when  the  pioneer  left  New 
England  to  find  a  home  in  the  wilderness  of  our  middle  west  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  169 

when  the  Forty-niner  crossed  the  "great  American  dessert"  in 
search  of  gold  the  last  adventure  of  history  was  over. 

The  pioneer  who  came  to  this  Northwest  Territory  and  pene- 
trated the  wilderness  in  search  of  an  empire  where  he  must  obey 
the  law  of  the  jungle  until  in  time  he  could  make  laws  of  his 
own,  found  the  great  adventure  in  "this  heart  of  America  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

In  some  far  away  eternity  the  great  adventurers  will  get  to- 
gether and  talk  over  their  earthly  experiences.  Hercules,  Ulysses, 
Abraham,  Moses,  Jonah,  Joan  of  Arc,  Columbus,  Balboa,  Miles 
Standish,  George  Eogers  Clark,  Robert  Falcon  Scott  will  each 
have  his  story  to  tell.  And  a  great  story  hour  it  will  be. 

I  could  be  content  to  sit  in  the  midst  of  a  little  group  of  men 
no  less  heroic  and  listen  to  the  story  of  the  Wabash  Valley  jungle 
of  a  century  ago.  In  that  group  would  be  George  Rogers  Clark, 
Pierre  Gibault,  Francis  Vigo,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  and  William  Henry 
Harrison,  the  great  men  of  our  territorial  period.  But  until  the 
history  of  the  people  of  the  Northwest  is  written,  America  will 
not  know  what  heroes  we  had  a  hundred  years  ago. 

The  pilgrim  father  who  crossed  the  wintry  sea  and  began  his 
life  of  religious  liberty  in  the  snows  of  Massachusetts  was  no 
braver  than  his  pioneer  descendant  who  came  from  the  civilized 
East  two  centuries  later  to  find  a  home  in  the  wilderness  of  In- 
diana, and  the  measureless  prairies  of  Illinois.  Across  the  Alle- 
ghany  mountains  his  journey  into  the  West  lay  along  streams 
where  treacherous  Indians  waited  for  him  all  the  way.  But  the 
savage  was  the  least  of  the  dangers  he  had  to  face.  When  he 
entered  the  forest,  bears  and  wildcats  were  in  his  way.  About 
his  new  home  wild  creatures  watched  for  his  stock,  and  waited  to 
devour  his  crops.  More  to  be  feared  than  any  living  animal  was 
the  peril  of  disease  that  threatened  him  until  the  lands  could  be 
drained  and  intelligent  physicians  be  found  for  every  neighbor- 
hood. Malaria  was  universal  and  there  were  not  enough  well 
people  to  feed  and  nurse  the  sick.  Fever  and  ague  made  steady 
work  impossible  and  life  a  torment. 

The  twentieth  century  traveler  finds  it  hard  to  picture  that 
wilderness  to  himself.  As  we  ride  by  railway  and  over  paved 


170  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

highways  we  forget  that  the  pioneer  had  to  build  his  wagon  roads 
and  bridle  paths  through  dense  woods,  and  that  for  forty  years 
land  travel  was  through  bottomless  prairie  mud  or  among  stumps 
and  fallen  timber  cleared  with  the  ax.  And  ever  in  the  half-dark- 
ness of  the  woods  was  the  unspeakable  terror  of  the  savage  in  hid- 
ing behind  some  tree,  ready  to  kill. 

There  were  children  in  the  wilderness  who  shared  the  father's 
dangers  and  comforted  the  mother's  loneliness.  Little  thumb- 
nails sketches  of  the  boys  and  girls  appear  in  the  histories  of  that 
earlier  day.  We  read  of  little  J.  G.  Finch  going  out  from  Con- 
nersville  with  his  father's  cavalcade  to  make  the  first  settlement 
on  White  Eiver  above  Indianapolis.  He  was  nine  years  old.  "It 
was  snowing  hard  and  the  men  of  the  company  made  their  way 
very  slowly  with  their  ox  team,  driving  stock  before  them  and 
cutting  the  road  as  they  went.  I  got  to  crying  and  they  came 
back  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  told  them  I  was  so  cold  that 
my  back  was  cracked."  And  there  are  the  children  on  the  way 
to  the  log  school  who  were  stolen  by  the  savages  or  killed  in  cold 
blood  in  the  somber  shadows  of  the  woods. 

And  there  is  that  other  nine-year-old  Hoosier,  the  very  men- 
tion of  whose  name  gives  us  a  grip  in  the  throat  and  a  tightening 
about  the  heart;  we  recall  how  death  entered  the  lonely  cabin  and 
the  boy  who  dreamed,  fearing  lest  the  mother's  burial  should  go 
unremembered  of  God,  sent  beyond  the  Ohio  to  the  Kentucky  cir- 
cuit rider  to  pray  over  the  grave  of  Nancy  Hanks.  There  is  no 
story  of  Indiana  that  can  leave  out  the  tragic  picture  of  the  Hoosier 
boy  standing  uncomforted  beside  the  grave  of  a  pioneer  mother. 

Life  was  as  much  of  an  adventure  to  the  circuit  rider  who 
saved  the  souls  of  pioneers  as  if  it  had  been  given  over  to  the 
conquest  of  the  jungle  or  the  killing  of  the  Indian.  The  arena 
of  the  human  soul  was  to  him  as  theatric  a  place  as  the  coliseum 
was  when  the  Christian  martyr  went  down  to  death.  Hell  was  as 
genuine  a  terror  as  malaria  and  as  near  at  hand,  while  the 
mysteries  of  faith  were  as  plain  as  the  simplest  things  of  life. 

The  Methodist  way  of  conversation  was  not  always  gentle. 
A  story  is  told  of  Reverend  James  Jones,  who  in  1820  was  con- 
ducting a  camp  meeting  in  the  Whitewater  country.  A  woman 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  171 

who  had  just  been  converted  was  dragged  from  the  altar  by  an 
angry  husband.  Mr.  Jones  remonstrated  in  vain  and  finally  seized 
the  man,  forced  him  to  the  ground,  and  seating  himself  on  the 
man's  back,  refused  to  let  him  go  till  he  prayed.  The  victim 
swore.  The  wife  and  other  believers  prayed  aloud,  and  Brother 
Jones  still  held  his  man  fast.  As  he  prayed  he  felt  the  man's 
muscles  relax  and  recognized  other  signs  of  the  coming  victory. 
Soon  the  man  began  to  weep  and  cry  aloud,  "God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner!"  The  shout  of  victory  came  and  the  man's  soul 
was  saved. 

Father  Dickey,  one  of  the  first  of  the  Indiana  Presbyterians, 
suported  a  family  on  an  annual  income  of  $80,  including  gifts. 
He  helped  by  farming,  teaching  singing  classes,  writing  legal 
papers,  surveying,  shoe-making,  and  conducting  school.  His  house 
was  a  log  cabin,  with  greased  paper  instead  of  window  glass.  His 
wife  looked  after  her  eleven  children,  managed  the  entire  house- 
hold, made  garments  for  the  family,  and  entertained  numberless 
visitors. 

It  is  good  to  remind  ourselves  that  back  in  the  twenties  and 
thirties,  benevolent  folk  in  the  least  were  as  generous  in  sending 
the  gospel  and  civilization  to  us  of  the  west,  as  we  of  the  later 
generation  have  been  to  darkest  Africa,  or  may  yet  be  to  pagan 
Germany. 

In  the  files  of  the  Gazette,  published  at  the  old  capitol,  Cory- 
don,  in  January,  1819,  when  Indiana  was  three  years  old,  the 
first  announcement  reads: 

"The  Reverend  Mr.  Eogers,  missionary  to  the  state  of  Indiana, 
will  preach  tonight  at  candle  light  at  the  Court  House." 

The  pioneer  was  a  failure  as  a  publicity  man.  Even  George 
Eogers  Clark,  the  most  romantic  figure  in  American  history,  failed 
to  make  good  when  it  came  to  advertising  his  exploits.  Eecall  how 
he  took  Kaskaskia  and  won  command  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
without  firing  a  shot.  He  had  left  his  little  fleet  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  and  tramped  for  a  week  with  a  hundred  and  seventy 
volunteers  through  mire  and  flood.  As  they  came  to  Kaskasia, 
England's  stronghold  on  the  Mississippi,  the  sturdy  Americans 
hid  until  midnight,  and  then  slipped  into  the  fort  and  took  the 


172  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

commandant  by  surprise.  George  Eogers  Clark  wrote  the  story 
out  in  full  in  his  report  to  Virginia's  Governor,  and  this  is  what 
he  said:  "I  broke  into  the  fort  and  secured  the  Governor."  That 
is  the  complete  official  account  of  one  of  the  most  romantic  events 
in  American  history. 

Did  the  day  of  adventure  end  when  the  pioneer  moved  no 
longer  toward  the  West?  We  know  it  did  not.  We  still  thrill  to 
the  scream  of  the  bugle  and  our  eye  still  dims  with  tears  when  of 
a  sudden  we  see  the  flag.  The  pioneer  spirit  remains. 

You  who  are  old  enough  to  have  seen  history  in  the  making 
remember  how  the  sons  and  grandsons  of  the  pioneer  sprang  to 
the  colors  when  Sumter  was  assailed  and  "thronged  the  way  of 
death  as  to  a  festival."  Today  their  grandsons  are  answering 
America's  call  and  once  more  the  road  of  righteousness  is  the  road 
of  death.  In  every  crisis  it  is  the  blood  of  the  pioneer  that  answers 
first  to  the  call  of  civilization.  And  we  of  Illinois  and  Indiana 
may  thank  God  that  ours  is  the  blood  of  the  pioneers  who  con- 
quered the  wilderness  and  won  the  west  for  America  and  American 
ideals. 

Before  Clark  ventured  into  our  Northwest  there  were  perhaps 
seven  hundred  white  men  in  the  Illinois  country.  An  early  chroni- 
cler gives  this  figure  for  the  year  1766  and  explains  that  "the 
number  of  inhabitants  at  the  Illinois  is  very  difficult  to  ascertain 
as  they  are  going  and  coming  constantly/' 

Last  week  at  State  and  Washington  streets  in  Chicago  I 
noted  the  same  characteristic  persisting  after  a  century  and  a  half. 

When  Illinois  was  a  part  of  Indiana  territory  there  was  little 
community  of  interest  between  the  Illinois  settlers  and  their  east- 
ern neighbors.  Our  common  capital,  Vincennes,  was  as  inacces- 
sible to  the  people  who  lived  along  the  Mississippi  River  and  had 
to  cross  prairies  that  were  sunbaked  in  summer  and  flooded  in 
winter,  as  it  was  to  the  men  of  Indiana  who  blazed  their  way 
thither  through  the  almost  trackless  forest  wilderness. 

The  Illinois  leaders  cherished  the  promise  of  early  indepen- 
dence that  was  to  come  with  increased  immigration,  and  their 
strong  leanings  toward  slavery  with  which  the  masses  in  Indiana 
had  no  sympathy,  encouraged  Illinois  in  its  aspirations  toward  an 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  173 

independent  territorial  government.  The  slavery  struggle  bulked 
large  in  territorial  politics,  the  leaders  in  your  state,  Governor 
Bond  and  Senator  Thomas,  doing  their  utmost  to  force  slavery 
upon  Illinois  as  Governor  Harrison  would  fain  have  done  in  In- 
diana but  for  the  free  soil  influences  led  by  Indiana's  first  Gover- 
nor, Jonathan  Jennings. 

Strong  counter-influences  were  at  work  among  the  people  in 
both  territories  and  Jefferson's  secret  anti-slavery  missionary, 
James  Lemen,  employed  energies  and  resources  that  were  unsus- 
pected in  that  day  to  save  both  states  for  freedom. 

In  due  time  your  pro-slavery  leaders  became  less  open  in 
their  support  of  a  cause  that  was  steadily  losing  popular  favor. 
The  main  route  of  migration,  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Missis- 
sippi, brought  into  Illinois  many  from  Kentucky  and  Missouri 
who  saw  in  the  richness  of  your  meadows  a  golden  harvest  for 
slave  labor.  But  the  current  of  migration  from  Kentucky  brought 
not  a  few  free  soilers,  while  Indiana  and,  through  her,  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  sent  their  steady  stream  of  flat 
boats  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Wabash  and  no  less  constant  a 
caravan  of  prairie  schooners  over  the  slowly  opening  highways 
and  these  liberty-loving  pioneers  held  your  state  loyally  to  the 
pledge  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787  and  made  it  in  due  time  the 
fit  forum  for  the  great  debate  that  on  your  soil  was  to  arouse  the 
sleeping  conscience  of  the  nation  and  make  it  ready  for  Appomat- 
tox  and  an  effective  emancipation.  Illinois  extended  southward 
into  the  heart  of  the  slave  country  and  people  in  every  community 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  state  had  a  natural  sympathy  for  the 
material  interests  of  the  homes  from  which  they  had  come,  so  that 
in  Illinois  the  battle  for  freedom  was  more  fiercely  fought  than  in 
more  austere  Indiana. 

We  are  wont  to  imagine  that  the  slavery  question  was  dor- 
mant in  these  two  states  from  their  territorial  beginnings  until 
the  compromise  of  1850.  The  truth  is  that  the  slavery  question 
never  slept.  The  St.  Clair  County  resolutions  of  1823  drafted, 
no  doubt,  by  James  Lemen,  himself,  read  like  the  argument  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1858,  as  a  single  sentence  will  show: 


174  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

"Confine  slavery  within  limited  boundaries  and  necessity,  that 
great  law  of  nature,  would  devise  measures  gradually  to  emanci- 
pate and  effectually  to  discharge  from  the  country  that  portion  of 
the  population;   ...... .extend  it  abroad  and  you  give  scope  for 

the  unlimited  increase  of  slaves  in  the  Union." 

The  only  political  issue  in  Indiana  in  1816  and  in  Illinois 
two  years  later  was  slavery  and  the  struggle  between  its  advocates 
and  its  enemies  in  the  making  of  your  Constitution  and  of  ours 
was  as  bitter  as  it  was  in  1858  when  "the  house  divided"  seemed 
to  be  tottering  to  its  fall  and  the  men  of  Illinois  had  to  choose 
leaders  between  the  pro-slavery  Vermonter  and  the  anti-slavery 
Kentuckian. 

The  years  of  compromise  had  to  end  and  the  vain  endeavor 
to  persuade  an  awaking  public  conscience  that  the  right  to  earn 
one's  bread  by  another's  labor  was  merely  an  economic  question, 
failed  at  last.  You  furnished  the  forum  for  the  final  discussion 
of  this  great  moral  question  and  it  naturally  fell  to  you  to  furnish 
the  leader  who  should  put  the  question  at  rest  for  all  time. 

I  would  not  withhold  any  credit  from  Illinois  for  having 
furnished  the  forum  for  the  great  debate.  It  was  a  natural  de- 
velopment from  the  conditions  that  arose  out  of  the  character  of 
your  pioneers.  The  issue  could  not  have  come  up  in  any  other 
state,  for  nowhere  else  was  the  division  so  naturally,  so  honestly, 
or  so  completely,  drawn  as  in  Illinois  in  1858,  when  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  waged  a  patriot's  fight  for  further  compromise  and  for 
peace  against  the  resistless  power  of  Lincoln's  appeal  to  conscience 
and  right.  Had  Douglas  been  less  of  a  patriot  than  he  was,  or 
had  he  fought  for  a  baser  ideal  than  the  prevention  of  disunion 
by  compromise  and  adjustment,  in  other  words,  had  he  been  mere- 
ly a  selfish  politician  as  many  superficial  and  partisan  students  of 
history  declare  him  to  have  been,  the  debate  would  have  been 
forgotten  and  there  would  not  have  emerged  from  it  the  one  giant 
figure  in  American  history.  It  was  the  greatness  of  both  cham- 
pions, Douglas  and  Lincoln,  and  the  honesty  of  their  purpose 
that  made  the  debate  what  it  was.  And  as  I  have  said,  it  was  the 
sincere  difference  of  opinion  among  genuine  patriots  that  gave  to 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  175 

Illinois  the  distinction  of  settling  the  slavery  question  on  her  own 
soil. 

How  far  Illinois  may  claim  credit  for  having  given  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  world  is  purely  an  academic  question.  If  we  are 
to  answer  it,  we  must  discover  the  sources  of  Lincoln's  power. 
It  is  a  matter  of  pure  sentimental  interest  where  a  man  was  born, 
or  what  places  afforded  him  his  education,  or  his  field  of  activity 
and  achievement.  The  more  practical  problem  in  our  study  is 
how  far  the  place  of  his  birth,  the  place  of  his  education,  and 
the  place  of  his  achievement  contributed  to  the  making  of  the 
man. 

There  is  nothing  miraculous  about  Abraham  Lincoln's  growth 
in  power.  It  was  the  most  natural  of  processes.  It  will  hardly 
be  denied  that  he  was  a  susceptible  man — responding  with  singu- 
lar sympathy  to  the  influences  that  beset  him.  "We  are  all  familiar 
with  his  salient  characteristics,  chief  among  which  it  may  be  said 
that  he  was  "the  man  who  understood."  The  expression  of  grave 
aloofness  in  those  clear  gray  eyes  vanished  in  a  flash  when  the  soul 
within  answered  the  appeal  of  any  kindred  spirit,  and  there  was 
instantly  an  understanding  glance,  a  smile,  and  the  intercom- 
munication of  soul  with  soul.  The  solitary  mood,  that  was  as 
likely  to  be  manifest  in  a  crowd  as  when  no  one  was  near  by, 
vanished,  and  he  became  a  man  among  men,  yielding  to  the 
psychic  force  of  the  mind  which  had  aroused  his  own.  As  he 
faced  his  audience  of  men  who  knew  him — some  devoted  follow- 
ers and  quite  as  many  the  severest  of  critics — the  face  they  looked 
into  had  none  of  the  stolidity  we  see  in  so  many  of  his  photo- 
graphs, but  it  was  ablaze  with  the  inner  fire  of  human  interest 
and  alive  with  the  thoughts  that  dominated  him  for  the  moment. 
The  physiognomy  of  the  man  affords  us  the  demonstration  of  my 
proposition,  that  his  was  a  responsive  nature,  answering  to  the 
feeling  of  others  as  that  of  one  wh\o  understood. 

Mr.  Herndon  and  some  of  his  associates  and  biographers  as- 
sure us  that  he  was  not  influenced  by  the  will  or  reason  or  ap- 
peal of  others.  I  can  not  believe  that  this  is  so.  He  was  firm, 
it  is  true,  firm  to  the  point  of  stubborness,  when  he  had  satisfied 
himself  that  he  had  come  to  a  right  conclusion,  but  it  was  what 


176 

he  termed  "firmness  in  the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right." 
All  the  way  along  from  the  beginning  of  the  problem  until  his 
soul  had  found  its  answer  he  was  in  touch  with  the  thought  of 
others,  hearing  with  patience  the  demands  of  would-be  dictators, 
reasoning  the  question  out  with  unreasonable  critics,  listening  al- 
ways to  suggestions  from  all  kinds  of  sources  and  trying,  as  he 
phrased  it,  to  see  if  he  could  bring  himself  out  on  God's  side. 
The  progress  toward  the  conclusion,  lonely  as  it  seemed,  was 
nevertheless  by  way  of  constant  contact  with  the  thought  of  others 
and  a  complete  understanding  of  their  point  of  view  and  an  ulti- 
mate recognition  that  the  other  man's  point  of  view  was  always 
entitled  to  consideration. 

If  we  grant  this  premise  that  what  Lincoln  came  to  be  was 
the  result  of  his  understanding  contact  with;  all  sorts  of  men,  and 
his  unusually  sympathetic  response  to  the  influence  of  an  extra- 
ordinary environment,  it  may  be  worth  our  while  briefly  to  con- 
sider whether  in  pioneer  Indiana  in  the  years  of  his  education  and 
growth  of  body  and  spirit  there  came  to  him  the  power  that  he 
used  so  effectively  in  the  maturer  period  that  belongs  to  Illinois 
and  in  the  four  final  years  that  belong  to  all  the  world. 

The  period  of  boyhood  and  adolescence  is  at  least  as  signifi- 
cant in  the  making  of  character  as  is  that  of  maturer  manhood. 
A  man  does  not  wait  until  middle  age  before  h,e  chooses  his  ideals. 
He  may  not  be  conscious  of  the  ferment  within,  but  it  is  in  boy- 
hood that,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  ambitions  begin  to  be- 
siege his  soul.  The  teachers  who  suggest  new  interests  to  him, 
the  first  books  that  absorb  his  thought,  and  even  his  dreams,  the 
friends  whose  companionship  enriches  his  life — all  these  influences 
are  the  molds  within  which  his  character  expands  and  becomes 
fixed. 

If  we  could  call  up  before  us  th,e  seven  year  old  Kentucky 
boy,  well-born  for  all  the  squalor  that  surrounded  him,  and  watch 
his  development  until  at  twenty-one  he  led  his  father's  ox-team 
to  Illinois,  the  vision  might  diminish  for  us  the  mystery  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln's  power.  Certainly  we  can  not  be  content  to  say 
that  Lincoln  was  an  ignorant  and  vulgar  politician  all  his  life 
and,  over  night,  as  it  were,  became  the  first  gentleman  and  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  177 

polished  orator  of  his  century.  Things  do  not  happen  so.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  ;lid  not  just  happen.  The  developing  of  his  great- 
ness was  not  a  forcing  process  that  gave  us  a  finished  product 
in  a  single  campaign  or  a  year  of  presidential  responsibility.  It 
was  a  life-long  growth,  steady,  constant,  and  slow,  under  influ- 
ences that  began  in  the  Nolan's  Creek  region  when  the  little  child 
of  five  gave  his  catch  of  fish  to  a  veteran  of  the  ^Revolution  be- 
cause "Mother  told  him  always  to  be  kind  to  the  soldier,"  and  that 
continued  through  that  first  bitter  winter  in  Indiana  when  he  lay 
on  the  bed  of  leaves  upon  frozen  earth  in  his  father's  half-faced 
camp  listening  to  the  howling  wolves,  and  that  later  winter  when 
the  comrade-mother  died.  There  were  the  seven  mile  walks 
through  the  wilderness  to  school,  the  thrilling  adventure  of  his 
later  boyhood  upon  the  Mississippi  flat  boat  ending  with  the  hide- 
ous vision  of  the  New  Orleans  slave  market.  There  were  the 
groups  of  men  about  the  Gentryville  store,  men  of  vulgar  speech 
no  doubt,  yet  men  whose  idol  was  Andrew  Jackson,  themselves 
the  Jackson  type,  who  devoured  the  occasional  newspaper  as  Abe 
Lincoln  read  it  to  them,  and  who  talked  religion,  politics  and 
slavery  and  told  stories  and  made  the  big  Lincoln  boy  one  of  their 
own  circle. 

School  declamation,  soap  box  speech  making,  good  natured 
mimicry  of  itinerant  preacher  and  temperance  orator,  and  at  last 
the  printing  of  a  school  essay  on  temperance  in  a  widely  circulated 
newspaper,  attendance  at  a  sensational  murder  trial  fourteen  miles 
away  at  Boonville  and  the  lonely  dreary  walk  back  and  forth,  the 
casual  acquaintance  there  of  a  prominent  lawyer  who  lent  him 
the  Indiana  statutes  that  contained  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence and  the  Ordinance  of  1787  with  its  bold  commandment: 
"Thou  shalt  not  keep  thy  fellow  man  in  bondage" — did  these  ex- 
periences touch  and  change  the  growing  boy?  We  do  not  need 
to  turn  to  Dennis  Hanks  for  confirmation  of  our  conclusion.  From 
what  the  man  of  Illinois  was  we  know  what  the  boy  of  Indiana 
must  have  been — a  double  nature,  self-absorbed  but  not  self-cen- 
tered, thoughtful  with  a  leaning  toward  philosophy,  self-discip- 
lining always,  moody  and  often  melancholy — one  aspect — under- 
—12  C  C 


178 

standing  the  point  of  view  of  those  about  him  and  tolerant  of 
dissent,  responsive  to  the  moods  of  others  and  quick  to  the  point 
of  eagerness  to  answer  to  their  needs — the  other  aspect,  he  was: 

"A  blend  of  mirth  and  sadness,  smiles  and  tears, 
A  quaint  knight-errant  of  the  pioneers." 

Lincoln  is  identified  in  the  world's  thought  with  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slave.  What  was  used  as  a  last  desperate  war  meas- 
ure by  the  patient  president  who  was  ready  to  try  any  remedy 
that  measured  up  to  his  idea  of  right  if  only  he  could  save  the 
Union,  was  really  the  one  thing  by  which  he  is  remembered.  The 
slavery  question  which  opportunest  politicians  had  avoided  for 
half  a  century  hoping  that  somehow  it  would  solve  itself  entered 
into  Lincoln's  spiritual  life  at  the  very  beginning  and  by  slow 
degrees  mastered  it.  It  was  to  escape  the  competition  of  slave 
labor  that  Thomas  Lincoln  left  Kentucky  for  a  state  dedicated  to 
liberty. 

The  only  book  the  boy  Lincoln  had  was  a  life  of  Washington 
whose  struggle  to  win  liberty  gripped  his  imagination. The  two 
journeys  to  New  Orleans  at  the  most  impressionable  period  of  his 
young  manhood;  the  visit  to  Kentucky  in  1841  when  he  described 
the  slaves  "strung  together  precisely  like  so  many  fish  upon  a 
trot  line"  to  be  taken  to  a  land  where  the  master's  lash  is  pro- 
verbially ruthless  and  unrelenting;  the  slow  awakening  to  a  real- 
ization of  his  own  opportunity  and  his  own  power  to  force  an 
issue  with  Douglas  which  would  settle  the  question ;  and  at  last  his 
happiness  in  the  knowledge  that  the  Thirteenth  Amendment  had 
given  to  the  slaves  the  freedom  which  his  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation had  promised  them,  constitute  one  story  of  the  dominance 
of  a  single  great  idea.  Can  it  be  truly  said  that  any  local  com- 
munity determined  the  course  of  that  man's  life  or  made  his  great- 
ness possible. 

I  am  convinced  that  a  special  obligation  rests  upon  your  State 
at  the  time  of  its  Centennial.  This  year,  a  State  pride,  which  is 
really  patriotism,  has  been  inspired  as  you  pause  to  look  back  upon 
a  hundred  years  of  service  to  humanity.  To  each  loyal  citizen 
of  Illinois  has  come  a  new  impulse  that  may  well  become  a  con- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  179 

secration  of  Illinois  and  all  her  citizenship  to  world  service.  You 
will  not  have  accepted  this  opportunity  for  self  dedication  if  you 
leave  no  permanent  memorial  to  remind  your  children  and  your 
children's  children,  that  Illinois  remembers  her  pioneers  and  all 
who  bore  their  part  in  her  first  one  hundred  years  of  life  and 
keeps  that  remembrance  sacred  for  coming  generations. 

You  have  great  names  on  your  roll  of  honor,  more  than  could 
well  be  named  in  this  address.  What  better  service  could  you 
do  now  than  give  to  each  place  identified  with  these  men  a  tablet 
to  attest  that  in  the  Centennial  year  they  were  not  forgotten? 
For  one  of  these  who  stand  head  and  shoulders  above  them  all, 
as  he  did  when  he  walked  the  streets  of  Springfield,  no  monu- 
ment is  needed.  And  yet  the  places  he  haunted  ought  to  be 
remembered.  The  road  from  Springfield  to  Petersburg,  Peoria, 
Pekin,  Lincoln,  Clinton,  and  Danville,  and  so  on  around  the  old 
Eighth  circuit,  and  many  an  old  court  house  and  tavern  and 
homestead  along  that  way  will  be  associated  always  with  that 
brilliant  company  of  itinerant  advocates,  and  particularly  the 
country  lawyer,  Abraham  Lincoln,  while  a  number  of  places  in 
Springfield  are  mutely  eloquent  reminder  of  his  master  person- 
ality. The  rooms  in  the  old  Capitol  where  his  immortal  speeches 
were  delivered,  the  site  of  Speed's  store  with  its  hospitable  upper 
room,  the  offices  of  Stuart  and  Lincoln,  Logan  and  Lincoln,  and 
Lincoln  and  Herndon,  the  room  where  the  First  Inaugural  was 
written,  and  the  site  of  the  "House  Divided"  speech;  these  should 
be  marked  while  Lincoln's  personal  friends  still  live,  and  im- 
perishable bronze  should  tell  to  generations  yet  unborn  that 
Springfield  remembers  lovingly  the  places  made  sacred  by  his 
presence. 

THE  CENTENNIAL  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS 

CLARENCE   WALWORTH   ALVORD 

Editor  Illinois  Centennial  History 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN,  FELLOW  MEMBERS 
OF  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  :  It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  have  this  opportunity  to  talk  to  you  about  the  task 


180  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

which  the  State  of  Illinois  has  placed  upon  me,  the  production 
of  a  Centennial  history  of  the  State.  I  am  peculiarly  glad  to  hear 
testimony  concerning  the  progress  of  this  work  to  you,  fellow 
members  of  the  Historical  Society,  for  to  you  more  than  anyone 
else  belongs  the  right  of  knowing  what  has  been  done  and  how; 
what  the  Centennial  history  is,  and  what  it  is  not. 

One  might  expect  that  the  very  name  chosen  for  this  work 
would  indicate  to  every  one  its  character,  but  from  correspondence 
and  conversation  with  many  citizens  of  the  State,  it  has  been 
borne  in  upon  me  that  the  meaning  of  the  title  does  not  convey 
to  everyone  the  same  idea.  It  is  true  that  everybody  under  the 
sun  believes  that  he  or  she  knows  what  the  history  is.  And  for 
that  reason  there  have  been  many  willing  helpers  in  the  production 
of  the  Centennial  history,  and  many  have  been  the  suggestions 
that  have  reached  your  editor-in-chief.  From  these  suggestions 
it  is  evident  that  many  are  expecting  a  cross  between  an  ency- 
clopedia and  such  a  year  book  as  the  Chicago  Daily  News  publishes, 
wherein  the  reader  may  expect  to  find  a  statement  on  every  sub- 
ject that  touches  Illinois  and  the  names  of  all  public  officials  from 
those  who  hold  the  important  State  offices  down  to  the  latest 
county  commissioners,  as  well  as  a  list  of  all  the  men's  clubs  and 
women's  clubs,  a  list  of  all  the  labor  unions  and  boy  scouts,  with 
a  careful  list  in  every  case  of  the  officers  and  in  most  cases  their 
photographs. 

Needless  to  say  to  an  audience  composed  of  the  members  of 
the  Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  the  Centennial  history  will 
not  serve  any  such  purpose.  No  organization,  however,  important, 
will  be  mentioned  except  in-so-far  as  it  forms  an  illustration  of  an 
important  development  in  our  social  history.  There  will  not  be, 
and  cannot  be  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  any  listing  of 
societies  or  organizations  for  the  simple  purpose  of  perpetuating 
the  names  of  the  officers. 

Other  correspondents,  whose  souls  have  been  stimulated  by 
reading  local  history,  think  of  the  Centennial  history  in  terms  of 
county  histories ;  they  look  for  a  general  history  of  the  State,  fol- 
lowed by  histories  of  certain  phases  of  State  history,  such  as  the 
history  of  medicine,  the  history  of  religion,  the  history  of  busi- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  181 

ness,  the  history  of  newspapers,  and  so  forth  ad  infinitum,  all  this 
to  be  topped  off  by  biographical  sketches  of  important  people  who 
may  be  willing  to  spend  fifty  dollars  to  have  their  photographs 
turned  into  half-tones  for  illustrative  material.  Such  a  work  would 
have  been  very  easy  to  prepare  and  in  some  ways  might  have  satis- 
fied many  people  in  the  State  better  than  the  volumes  which  will 
be  published  next  fall.  But  the  Centennial  history  is  as  far  re- 
moved from  the  average  county  history  as  can  be  well  imagined 
in  works  that  pretend  to  belong  in  the  same  field.  There  will  be 
but  very  few  illustrations,  not  more  than  four  or  five,  in  each 
volume.  Some  of  these  will  be  portraits,  but  only  of  men  who 
have  played  a  great  part  in  building  our  State. 

There  will  be  no  continuous  history  of  various  professions 
and  businesses,  although  it  is  hoped  that  adequate  treatment  in 
the  general  narrative  will  be  given  to  the  various  interests  in  which 
the  people  of  Illinois  are  engaged. 

Most  of  the  suggestions  which  have  come  to  your  editor  have 
emanated  from  men  and  women  filled  with  that  love  and  admir- 
ation of  the  past  which  makes  to  them  the  spot  or  object  associ- 
ated with  bygone  ages  holy.  Theirs  is  the  spirit  of  the  anti- 
quarian; and  they  are  expecting  that  the  Centennial  history  will 
be  a  guide-book  to  Illinois  antiquities,  a  kind  of  ennobled  Bae- 
decker,  enshrining  in  print  the  spots  which  each  community  loves 
to  point  out  to  visitors  as  being  of  historic  importance;  yonder 
Indian  mounds  of  Podunk  center;  the  spring  where  Black  Hawk 
used  to  camp ;  the  block  from  which  slaves  used  to  be  sold. 

No  suggestions  has  reached  the  editorial  ears  that  equals  in 
extravagance  that  of  a  recent  convert  to  the  importance  of  history. 
He  was  a  French  Creole  of  a  neighboring  state  and  was  converted 
by  a  historian  who  was  preaching  to  him  the  gospel  of  the  preser- 
vation of  past  memories  and  old  documents.  The  imagination  of 
the  Creole  was  aroused,  and  he  gave  ready  agreement  to  the  pro- 
position; "For,"  he  said,  "the  old  people  who  remembered  them 
are  now  dying  out  and  the  memory  of  the  important  events  will 
soon  be  gone."  He  continued,  "I  am  sure  that  there  is  no  one 
living  today  who  can  confirm  an  event  that  was  told  me  by  my 
grandfather.  Knoweldge  of  the  fact  is  lost  to  history.  I  remem- 


182  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

her  well  my  grandfather  telling  me  that  when  Father  Gautier 
died  and  the  people  were  assembled  to  pay  honor  to  the  pious 
priest  who  had  served  them  so  well,  a  star  from  heaven  came  down 
and  stood  above  the  parish  house  so  long  as  the  coffin  remained 
therein  and  when  the  coffin  was  carried  out  the  star  returned  to 
the  firmanent."  What  answer  can  you  make  to  a  mind  like  that? 

Almost  equally  curious  suggestions  have  come  to  me  from 
people  that  were  highly  cultivated  and  in  their  own  lines  of  work 
stood  high  in  the  opinion  of  their  fellows.  Such  a  man  recently 
grew  eloquent  over  the  historic  importance  of  his  home  town, 
hallowed  by  the  memories  of  the  fleeing  Black  Hawk  and  the  tramp 
of  the  valorous  militia  men.  He  told  me  that  in  his  own  back 
yard  he  had  found  an  army  canteen  of  that  far  off  period  and 
that  one  day  some  men  while  plowing  had  dug  up  a  hexagonal 
pistol  which  they  had  given  to  him.  Waxing  enthusiastic  over 
these  childhood  memories,  he  advised  me  to  go  there  and  dig  for 
mementoes  of  the  past,  for  I  would  be  sure  to  find  rich  treasure. 
Let  me  ask  you,  would  a  collection  of  a  thousand  of  these  guns 
borne  by  the  Illinois  militia  or  could  a  collection  of  all  the  scalps 
that  were  removed  from  both  white  and  red  skulls  help  to  eluci- 
date the  events  that  occurred  during  the  Black  Hawk  War!  The 
Centennial  history,  fellow  members  of  the  Illinois  State  His- 
torical Society,  is  not  to  be  a  glorified  guide  book  to  historic  Illi- 
nois, nor  an  apotheosized  handbook  of  Illinois  antiquity.  Any- 
one expecting  either  of  these  equally  desirable  works  is  bound 
to  be  bitterly  disappointed,  for  the  authors  of  the  Centennial  his- 
tory have  in  no  wise  attempted  their  production. 

So  much  for  what  the  Centennial  history  is  not.  What,  then, 
is  the  history?  First  of  all,  let  me  assure  you  that  the  very  opti- 
mistic report  in  the  newspapers  of  recent  date,  that  the  history 
was  on  the  point  of  being  ready  for  distribution  is,  to  quote  a  well- 
remembered  remark  of  Mark  Twain's  upon  the  report  of  his  death, 
greatly  exaggerated.  It  is  true  that  one  volume,  the  second,  will 
come  from  the  press  all  printed  next  month  and  the  others  will 
follow  in  as  rapid  succession  as  possible. 

Knowing  as  you  do  that  work  has  been  going  on  in  connec- 
tion with  the  writing  of  these  volumes  for  some  three  years,  it 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  183 

may  be  well  to  remind  you  that  even  when  an  author  has  once 
put  down  his  story  on  paper,  it  does  not  at  all  mean  that  the  book 
is  ready  to  print.  The  first  draft  must  be  typed  and  collated, 
that  is,  compared  with  the  original;  it  must  be  revised  and  cut 
down  by  the  author,  footnotes  filled  in,  statement  of  facts  checked, 
and  then  retyped  for  the  editorial  office.  Here  it  has  to  go 
through  a  multiplicity  of  processes,  reminding  one  of  the  oper- 
ations through  which  a  factory  product  must  pass.  First  the 
editor  reads  it,  recommending  points  to  be  revised  by  the  author 
and  modifying  the  English.  The  chapters  are  then  turned  over 
to  an  assistant  who  checks  carefully  the  accuracy  of  each  footnote 
reference,  each  quotation,  each  proper  name.  Then  another  as- 
sistant goes  over  the  manuscript  to  see  that  capitalization,  punctu- 
ation, and  spelling  are  correct  and  in  accordance  with  the  set  of 
rules  worked  out  for  the  volumes.  There  is  also  a  definite  sys- 
tem for  the  citation  of  footnotes  and  for  the  bibliography,  so  that 
these  things  must  be  gone  over  very  carefully  to  see  that  they 
conform.  By  this  time  so  many  changes  have  been  made  that 
it  is  necessary  for  a  new  copy  to  be  typed  for  the  printer;  it  goes 
without  saying  that  it  must  again  be  collated.  In  a  book  of  one 
hundred  twenty-five  thousand  words  these  operations  can  natural- 
ly not  be  done  in  a  day.  The  editor  gives  the  manuscript  a  final 
reading  before  it  goes  to  the  printer;  then  the  task  of  proof  read- 
ing begins.  Two  sets  of  proof  for  every  page  of  every  book  has- 
to  be  very  minutely  read  to  see  that  the  printer  has  printed  what 
the  author  wrote  and  to  correct  any  errors  which  may  have  escaped 
detection  in  the  manuscript.  Perhaps  this  sounds  easy  to  those 
of  you  who  have  never  tried  it;  if  you  have  not  gone  through  a 
similar  experience,  you  can  not  dream  of  the  knotty  problems 
which  can  be  involved  in  the  placing  of  a  mere  comma;  you  do  not 
know  how  many  words  look  all  right  until  you  consult  Webster's 
Unabridged  Dictionary,  when  you  find  you  don't  know  how  to 
spell  at  all;  you  little  guess  how  inconvenient  it  is  that  the  Eng- 
lish language  has  no  logical  system  of  capitalization.  In  spite 
of  the  great  care  exercised  by  each  person  who  works  over  the 
manuscript,  a  new  mistake  is  discovered  with  every  reading;  if 


you  are  sharp-eyed,  no  doubt  some  of  you  will  detect  a  few  in 
the  final  printed  copy. 

With  good  luck,  however,  we  are  hoping  that  all  five  volumes 
will  be  ready  for  distribution  some  time  next  fall.  If  it  so  hap- 
pens that  this  distribution  coincides  with  the  great  celebration 
in  October,  we  shall  all  be  exceedingly  happy.  I  may  say  here, 
to  answer  the  question  I  am  sure  many  of  you  are  asking,  that 
the  Centennial  history  is  to  be  published  by  the  A.  C.  McClurg 
Company  of  Chicago  and  that  it  will  be  sold  through  the  regular 
book  market  at  two  dollars  a  volume. 

The  authors  of  the  Centennial  history  have  attempted  to  give 
an  interpretation  of  the  development  of  the  social,  political  and 
economic  life  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Their  final 
product  might  well  have  been  called  the  history  of  the  people  of 
Illinois.  There  has  been,  therefore,  an  effort  made  to  paint  with 
the  pen  a  succession  of  moving  pictures  from  the  time  Illinois 
country  was  first  traversed  by  the  white  men  up  till  the  present 
day.  At  every  stage  of  our  development  sufficient  information 
has  been  collected  from  various  sources  to  give  this  picture  of 
our  changing  civilization  lifelike  form. 

It  is  a  history  of  a  state  and  not  the  history  of  the  United 
States.  Therefore  we  have  made  no  attempt  to  tell  the  story  of 
Illinois  in  terms  of  national  history,  but  rather  the  story  of  Illi- 
nois as  illustrative  of  the  growth  of  a  mid-western  state.  This 
means  several  important  points  of  view  to  which  I  wish  to  call 
your  attention.  The  wars  in  which  Illinois  has  been  engaged,  for 
instance,  as  one  of  the  states  of  the  Union  are  important  in  state 
history;  but  this  importance  does  not  consist  in  the  development 
of  the  war  itself — I  mean  the  war  strategy  and  the  campaigns — 
nor  again  in  the  engagement  of  Illinois  troops  in  the  war;  the 
importance  of  wars  to  state  history  arises  out  of  the  social,  eco- 
nomic, and  political  phenomena  which  the  wars  have  produced 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  State.  Here  then  lies  the  problem 
of  the  historians,  and  it  is  to  these  phenomena  rather  than  to  the 
events  outside  of  the  State  itself  that  the  authors  of  the  Centen- 
nial history  have  devoted  their  attention.  The  same  attitude  of 
mind  must  be  assumed  in  the  treatment  of  the  activities  of  our 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  185 

members  of  Congress.  So  far  as  they  are  engaged  in  the  pass- 
age of  national  laws,  they  belong  to  national  rather  than  state 
history;  but  when  our  representatives  at  Washington  reflect  the 
attitude  of  the  State  itself  on  important  national  issues,  their 
activities  become  a  part  of  the  State  personality  and  as  such  form 
a  part  of  the  picture  of  our  past.  For  the  same  reason  national 
politics  can  be  neglected  so  far  as  they  are  extraneous  to  State 
affairs,  but  whenever  the  issues  of  national  politics  become  vital 
in  state  history,  then  they  fall  within  the  treatment  that  the 
authors  are  giving. 

For  the  purposes  of  this  study,  the  authors  have  neglected 
consciously  the  writings  of  previous  historians  in-so-far  as  such 
writings  were  not  considered  as  source  material.  We  did  not 
desire  ta  allow  our  judgment  to  be  biased  by  the  prejudices  of 
men  who  had  preceded  us  in  this  field.  'We  have  therefore  gone 
directly  to  what  historians  call  source  material,  that  is  to  say  the 
contemporary  documents  made  up  of  letters,  legal  documents, 
laws,  and  newspapers  that  have  come  to  us  directly  from  the 
period  concerning  which  we  were  writing.  The  collection  of  this 
material  has  been  laborious.  I  may  illustrate  from  the  experi- 
ences which  I  have  had  in  the  preparation  of  the  first  volume  of 
the  history  that  extends  from  1673  down  to  1818,  the  period  of 
the  Indian,  the  French,  the  British,  and  the  American  occupation. 
Covering  this  period  there  are  thousands  of  printed  pages  of  source 
material  available.  These  had  to  be  collected  at  the  University 
of  Illinois  for  my  study.  Besides  these,  however,  there  are  in 
existence  an  equal  number  of  unprinted  materials  scattered  in 
archives  all  over  the  world,  in  London,  in  Paris,  in  Boston,  and 
Worcester,  Massachusetts,  in  Albany,  in  Philadelphia  and  Pitts- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  in  Washington,,  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
in  Chester,  Belleville,  and  Chicago,  not  to  forget  the  numberless 
documents  in  the  Draper  Collection  at  Madison,  Wisconsin.  Thou- 
sands of  pages  of  manuscript  material  have  been  collected  for 
the  purpose  of  interpreting  Illinois'  past.  Take  for  instance  the 
manuscript  material  in  the  archives  in  Paris  which  has  been  never 
used  in  its  entirety  by  any  historian  of  Illinois  or  even  of  the 
United  States.  The  library  of  Congress  had  fortunately  copied 


186  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

some  forty  folio  volumes  of  these  manuscripts.  The  librarian  has 
kindly  loaned  me  these  volumes,  and  copies  have  been  made  in 
my  office  of  such  of  them  as  were  needful  for  my  purposes.  But 
there  are  many  more  documents  in  Paris  itself.  Of  these  there  is 
in  existence  a  recently  finished  finding  list  which  was  put  at  my 
service;  and  the  State  of  Illinois  maintained  a  copyist  with  one 
assistant  for  about  a  year  and  a  half  in  Paris  doing  nothing  but 
copying  for  the  purposes  of  this  volume.  What  has  been  done  in 
Paris  has  been  done  at  other  times  in  the  other  cities  that  I  have 
named.  The  result  is  that  no  historian  of  Illinois  has  had  col- 
lected at  his  disposal  any  such  mass  of  source  material  as  will  be 
the  basis  for  the  interpretation  of  the  early  'history  of  the  State 
which  is  to  appear  in  the  Centennial  history  of  Illinois. 

Similar  collecting  has  been  done  for  the  other  volumes.  You 
would  be  amazed  at  the  amount  of  newspapers  that  have  been  ex- 
amined by  the  authors.  Loans  have  been  made  from  libraries  all 
over  the  State,  from  Joliet,  from  Springfield,  from  Belleville  and 
many  other  places.  The  libraries  of  Chicago  have  been  examined, 
photograph  copies  of  early  newspapers  in  the  State  have  been 
made  from  the  collections  in  the  Library  of  Congress  and  from 
the  Mercantile  Library  in  St.  Louis,  so  that  there  has  been  col- 
lected for  the  authors  a  better  collection  of  our  very  early  news- 
papers, of  which  there  are  only  few  copies  in  existence,  than  can 
be  found  in  any  library  in  the  United  States. 

In  addition  to  these  old  newspapers  there  were  a  large  num- 
ber of  later  files  scattered  around  in  various  cities  in  the  State 
which  it  was  highly  desirable  to  examine,  yet  which  it  was  im- 
possible for  the  authors  to  visit  and  inspect  in  person.  How  could 
these  be  made  available?  The  problem  was  solved  by  arranging 
with  the  various  newpaper  .officers  and  libraries  to  ship  their 
papers,  a  few  volumes  at  a  time  and  in  specially  constructed  boxes, 
to  TJrbana,  where  they  were  examined  by  the  authors  and  by  re- 
search assistants  under  their  supervision.  Passages  which  were 
wanted  were  marked,  then  typed,  and  the  copies  compared  with 
the  original  for  accuracy.  Thus  in  two  weeks  time  by  this  method, 
a  group  of  newspapers  could  be  examined  which  would  have  re- 
quired a  month  or  more,  had  each  author  undertaken  to  go  from 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  187 

place  to  place  and  take  all  his  notes  himself.  Furthermore,  there 
are  now  literally  thousands  of  typed  newspaper  excerpts  available 
for  still  further  study  and  use. 

Besides  the  collection  of  newspapers  the  authors  have  also 
examined  with  great  care  large  masses  of  unpublished  letters.  Dr. 
Pease  who  is  the  author  of  the  second  volume,  the  Pioneer  State, 
1818-1848,  has  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  material  to  be 
found  in  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  and  also  in  the  Illinois 
Historical  Survey  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  in  the  State 
Historical  Library  here  in  Springfield.  Dr.  Cole,  the  author  of 
the  third  volume,  The  Era  of  the  Civil  War,  1848-1870,  spent 
several  weeks  in  Washington,  going  over  the  collection  of  Trumbull 
papers  never  before  used  and  other  collections  that  are  to  be  found 
in  the  Library  of  Congress.  Professor  C.  M.  Thompson  who  is 
half  author  with  Professor  Ernest  L.  Bogart  of  the  fourth  volume, 
The  Industrial  State,  1870-1893,  has  made  great  use  of  material 
collected  from  the  descendants  of  men  who  acted  during  this 
period,  besides  using  other  well-known  material. 

The  fifth  volume,  the  Modern  Commonwealth,  1893  to  the 
present  day,  differs  in  its  character  from  the  other  four.  This  is 
a  period  in  which  the  actors  are  still  living  and  when  the  events 
are  so  new  that  judgment  can  scarcely  be  passed  upon  them.  It 
would  therefore  be  a  very  doubtful  policy  to  attempt  to  make  an 
interpretation  of  these  recent  years,  besides  it  was  very  essential 
for  the  history  of  the  State  that  there  should  be  a  very  complete 
description  of  the  activity  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  as  they  are 
exhibited  in  their  agriculture,  their  manufacturing,  their  mining, 
their  business  in  general,  their  government  in  all  its  ramifications, 
and  their  cultural  development.  The  Centennial  Commission  there- 
fore selected  to  write  this  volume  an  economic  historian,  Professor 
Bogart,  and  a  political  scientist,  Professor  J.  M.  Mathews,  who 
have  given  us  a  description  of  the  State  as  it  exists  today,  and  you 
will  find  therein  a  very  complete  analysis  of  present  day  conditions, 
and  the  best  account  of  the  Government  of  the  State  that  has  ever 
been  written.  Besides  this  Mr.  Henry  B.  Fuller  of  Chicago  has 
written  two  chapters  on  the  cultural  development  of  the  State,  one 
of  these  will  appear  in  the  fourth  volume  and  the  other  in  the  fifth. 


188  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  secret  of  writing  true  history  depends  upon  the  collection 
of  all  the  contemporary  evidence  bearing  on  the  case.  The  reason 
that  people  complain  of  the  changing  interpretations  of  history  is 
that  new  material  is  found,  as  society  demands  a  broader  and 
broader  interpretation  of  the  phenomena  of  the  past.  There  was 
a  time  when  history  consisted  in  what  we  call  today  the  drum  and 
fife  history;  the  doings  of  the  great  political  leaders,  events  of 
military  glory  and  almost  no  other  phenomena  of  changing 
society  were  noted.  Today  the  task  of  the  historian  however,  is 
far  greater;  and  he  is  obliged  to  cast  his  net  far  afield  in  order  to 
collect  the  material  for  the  social  development  of  the  past.  The 
task  of  interpretation  is  made  easier  the  more  complete  is  the 
collection  of  source  material,  and  it  is  this  fact  upon  which  the 
authors  of  the  Centennial  History  particularly  pride  themselves. 

An  example  of  how  easy  it  is  to  misinterpret  a  past  event, 
provided  all  the  material  available  is  not  collected,  and  how  easy 
is  that  interpretation  after  the  material  has  been  found  has  come 
under  my  observation  and  will  be  embodied  in  the  narrative  of 
the  first  volume.  About  forty  years  ago  Edward  G.  Mason,  at  that 
time  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  found  the  record 
book  kept  by  the  County  Lieutenant,  John  Todd,  in  year  1779, 
when  Todd  came  to  govern  the  territory  that  had  been  occupied 
by  George  Eogers  Clark  and  his  Virginians  during  the  Eevolu- 
tionary  War.  In  this  record  book  Mason  found  the  copy  of  a 
warrant  for  the  death  by  burning  at  the  stake  of  a  negro,  named 
Manuel,  which  burning  was  to  take  place  after  consolation  to  the 
criminal  had  been  given  by  the  parish  priest.  The  copy  of  the 
warrant  had  been  crossed  out  by  drawing  lines  through  it.  Please 
bear  this  fact  in  mind,  since  it  should  have  suggested  a  correct 
interpretation.  Naturally  this  warrant  aroused  the  imagination 
of  Mr.  Mason,  and  he  began  to  search  for  an  explanation  and 
discovered  that  about  this  time  there  was  an  outbreak  of  voodooism 
among  the  Illinois  slaves  and  that  two  slaves  had  been  put  to 
death.  He  drew  the  natural  conclusion  therefore  that  Manual 
had  been  burned  at  the  stake  for  the  practice  of  witchcraft.  Bas- 
ing his  interpretation  upon  Mr.  Mason's  find,  a  well-known  ex- 
President,  who  among  other  occupations  has  dabbled  in  history. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  189 

Mr.  Theodore  Eoosevelt,  wrote  at  some  length  upon  this  episode 
and  drew  a  comparison  between  the  eighteenth  century  Catholic 
Illinois  where  men  were  burned  at  the  stake  with  the  sanction  of 
the  parish  priest  and  in  accordance  with  French  Catholic  law  for 
the  practice  of  witchcraft,  with  a  similar  episode  in  the  history 
of  Puritan  Massachusetts  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Fortunately 
there  has  come  into  my  hands  a  full  record  of  the  court's  pro- 
ceedings by  which  Manuel  was  condemned;  and  I  find  that  the 
judges  in  the  case,  although  they  were  obliged  to  listen  to  the 
superstitious  accusations  of  negro  slaves,  were  careful  to  determine 
the  fact  that  Manual  and  another  negro  had  been  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicolle  by  poisoning  and  that  for  this  act 
they  were  condemned  to  death.  I  then  looked  up  the  law  of  the 
land.  Naturally  it  might  be  supposed  that  this  was  French  law, 
but  there  was  another  possibility,  namely  that  Virginia  law  in 
criminal  cases  would  be  used  by  a  Virginian  magistrate,  such  as 
John  Todd.  I  found  that  the  Virginia  law  in  the  case  of  murder 
of  a  master  by  a  slave  was  death  by  burning  at  the  stake  so  that 
in  the  case  of  Manuel  you  see  that  the  condemnation  was  strictly 
in  accordance  with  Virginia  law  and  not  with  French  law.  Another 
document  of  even  greater  interest  in  the  case  also  came  to  my 
hands.  It  certainly  was  a  surprise.  This  was  another  warrant 
for  the  death  of  Manuel,  issued  at  a  later  hour  in  the  day,  but 
by  this  later  warrant  the  death  penalty  was  changed  from  burning 
at  the  stake  to  hanging  by  the  neck.  To  summarize  then :  Manuel 
was  not  condemned  for  witchcraft  but  for  murder;  he  was  not 
condemned  to  be  burned  at  the  stake  in  accordance  with  French 
law,  but  in  accordance  with  Virginia  law;  and  finally  he  was  not 
burned  at  the  stake  at  all,  but  was  hung  by  the  neck.  This  is  an 
excellent  example  of  the  danger  of  drawing  inferences  in  regard 
to  historic  events  upon  too  narrow  information.  There  was  one 
fact  which  both  Mr.  Mason  and  Mr.  Eoosevelt  ignored  in  their 
interpretation  of  the  warrant.  The  copy  of  the  warrant  was  found 
in  a  carefully  kept  record  book  and  was  crossed  out  by  lines  being 
drawn  through  it.  That  fact  should  have  made  them  suspicious 
of  their  own  interpretation.  Eecords  such  as  this  condemnation 


190  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

to  death  would  not  be  lightly  erased  by  the  keeper  of  a  record  book. 
An  historical  Sherlock  Holmes  would  not  have  been  misled. 

Even  if  all  the  material  which  will  illuminate  the  past  has 
been  collected  there  remain  difficulties  of  interpretation.  Naturally 
many  past  events  can  not  be  described  because  of  the  lack  of  space, 
and  therefore  there  must  be  exercised  a  choice  to  determine  what 
episodes  should  be  depicted  in  order  to  make  the  picture  true  to 
reality.  These  difficulties  lying  in  the  path  of  the  man  of  research 
I  do  not  wish  to  speak  of  today,  but  rather  to  point  out  a  serious 
obstacle  that  confronts  the  writer  of  history,  namely  that  to  be 
found  in  the  prejudices  of  his  readers.  The  picture  he  would  draw 
must  convey  a  correct  impression  to  the  mind  of  those  who  may 
peruse  his  volume,  and  he  must  have  constantly  in  his  mind  the 
particular  prejudices  that  he  is  likely  to  encounter.  I  may  illus- 
trate the  point  if  you  will  excuse  me  for  being  so  personal,  from 
my  own  research  concerning  the  character  of  Father  Gibault  who 
played  such  an  important  part  in  securing  the  Illinois  country  to 
the  Virginians  during  the  Eevolutionary  War.  He  is  one  of  the 
heroes  of  the  West  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  although  possibly 
a  careful  investigation  of  the  facts  may  detract  somewhat  from  the 
popular  impression  of  him.  It  is  not,  however,  of  this  fact  that 
I  wish  to  speak,  but  of  some  unpublished  information  which  it  is 
my  intention  not  to  use  because  of  the  possible  misinterpretation 
that  would  be  placed  upon  it  by  readers  of  my  volume.  In  a  public 
address  of  this  sort  the  information  may  be  used  by  way  of  illus- 
tration, since  the  full  explanation  may  accompany  the  statement, 
whereas  in  the  condensed  narrative  required  by  the  size  of  the 
volume,  such  an  explanation  would  not  be  possible.  In  the  course 
of  my  investigations  in  Revolutionary  history,  there  came  to  me 
three  grocery  bills  of  Father  Gibault,  containing  itemized  state- 
ments of  his  purchases  for  a  period  of  time.  From  these  it  appears 
that  the  good  priest  found  it  difficult  to  live  one  day  and  never 
more  than  two  days  without  purchasing  from  the  nearby  grocery 
one  quart  of  whisky.  This  piece  of  information  appears  on  the 
face  of  it  interesting  and  important  for  the  interpretation  of 
Father  Gibault's  character  and  under  some  conditions  might  be 
used,  but  we  are  today  on  the  eve  of  the  final  triumph  of  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  191 

Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and  the  prejudice  against 
the  use  of  alcoholic  liquors  is  widespread  throughout  our  country; 
to  the  mind  of  many  readers  therefore  any  mention  of  the  daily 
consumption  of  a  quart  of  whisky  would  only  bring  to  the  mind 
scenes  of  debauchery;  and  they  would  condemn  Father  Gibault 
without  qualification  as  a  drunken  and  debauched  parish  priest. 
The  picture  would  not  be  true  for  Father  Gibault  lived  in  a  time 
when  the  average  man  bought  his  whisky  by  the  demijohn  rather 
than  by  the  quart,  and  the  average  citizen  of  Illinois,  or  Missouri 
where  Father  Gibault  lived  at  the  time,  would  have  regarded  as 
very  moderate  the  consumption  of  a  quart  of  whisky  daily  by  him- 
self and  friends.  Therefore  to  avoid  a  wrong  impression  of  this 
particular  parish  priest  I  am  not  going  to  use  the  information 
contained  in  his  grocery  bills. 

The  danger  of  allowing  the  reader  to  draw  his  own  inferences 
from  the  source  material  was  well  illustrated  upon  the  appearance 
of  the  introductory  volume  of  the  Centennial  history,  Mr.  Buck's 
"Illinois  in  1818,"  which  appeared  last  year.  The  character  of 
his  volume,  purposely  composed  of  extracts  from  contemporary 
documents,  made  Mr.  Buck  a  little  careless  in  handing  out  to  his 
readers  the  raw  material  with  which  he  himself  was  working; 
still  he  had  every  right  to  expect  his  readers  to  place  the  proper 
interpretation  upon  this  source  material  and  to  set  it  in  its  cor- 
rect perspective.  In  attempting  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  educa- 
tional conditions  in  Illinois  existing  in  the  year  1818  he  quoted 
the  comments  of  men  who  were  living  at  that  time.  Among  other 
descriptions  he  quoted  one  by  John  Masun  Peck,  a  well  known 
Baptist  missionary,  who  after  a  survey  of  educational  conditions 
in  Missouri  reached  the  following  conclusion,  which  I  quote  in  his 
own  words :  'At  least  one-third  of  the  schools  were  really  a  public 
nuisance,  and  did  the  people  more  harm  than  good;  another  third 
about  balanced  the  account  by  doing  about  as  much  harm  as  good, 
and  perhaps  one-third  were  advantageous  to  the  community  in 
various  degrees — not  a  few  drunken,  profane,  worthless  Irishmen 
were  perambulating  the  country,  and  getting  up  schools;  and  yet 
they  could  neither  speak,  read,  pronounce,  spell,  or  write  the  Eng- 
lish language."  Mr.  Buck's  comment  on  this  passage  was  that 


192 

"the  situation  in  Illinois  was  very  similar."  Now  to  Mr.  Buck  the 
Eeverend  Peck's  statement  was  interesting  simply  as  the  opinion 
of  a  contemporary  and  he  doubtless  cracked  smiles  over  the  austere 
Baptist's  hit  at  Irishmen  and  included  the  statement  as  a  bit  of 
local  color,  never  doubting  that  his  readers  would  discount  Peck's 
prejudices  as  he  did. 

Great  was  Mr.  Buck's  amazement  when  on  the  publication  of 
the  book,  a  perfect  storm  of  protest  came  from  the  Illinois  citizens 
of  Irish  birth  or  extraction,  who  considered  that  the  author  had 
a  personal  grudge  against  them  and  that  he  had  gone  far  out  of 
his  way  to  cast  a  very  special  aspersion  upon  them. 

Now  let  us  pause  for  a  moment  and  calmly  consider  the  situ- 
ation. First  of  all  in  every  discussion  of  former  citizens  of  Ireland 
it  must  be  remembered  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  Irishmen  in 
existence — one  from  the  north  and  one  from  the  south  of  the 
Emerald  Isle;  it  must  be  further  remembered  that  they  have  no 
love  for  each  other,  as  recent  events  have  only  too  well  taught  us. 
The  men  who  protested  against  Mr.  Buck's  quotation  of  Peck  were 
south  Irelanders  and  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  their  particular 
kind  of  Irishman  was  the  only  kind  meant ;  whereas  I  should  judge 
that  since  these  Irishmen  spoken  of  were  forming  schools  among 
a  Protestant  community,  they  were  the  kind  of  Irishmen  who 
when  they  got  drunk  had  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  Scotch  whisky 
rather  than  of  Irish  whisky.  Secondly,  let  me  point  out  that 
although  the  present  Irish  may  foreswear  their  liquor  and  disdain 
to  use  profane  language,  in  the  pioneer  days  they  would  not  have 
been  regarded  as  real  men  by  their  fellow  citizens  unless  they 
were  accumstomed  to  do  both,  for  such  was  the  practice  of  the 
frontier.  Our  ancestors  who  crossed  the  mountains  and  won  their 
way  in  the  wilderness  were  men  of  strong  virtues  and  of  equally 
strong  vices;  and  Peck  found  not  a  few  drunken,  profane,  and 
worthless  men  from  every  race  in  Europe  on  the  frontier  which 
he  knew  so  well.  Further  it  must  be  remembered  that  Peck  was 
a  Baptist  missionary  with  the  prejudices  of  his  calling  and  of 
his  Anglo-Saxon  blood.  He  had  come  from  New  England,  where 
a  particular  brand  of  culture  reigned,  to  a  region  that  was  under- 
going the  storm  and  stress  of  the  pioneer  days.  Peck's  very  pre- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATION 8  193 

judices  serve  to  make  up  the  picture  of  contemporary  Illinois  in 
1818. 

I  have  introduced  this  episode  of  the  Irish  for  a  very  import- 
ant purpose.  The  American  public  is  moved  by  sentiment  and  is 
inclined  to  place  on  its  nose  rose-colored  glasses  when  looking  at 
the  past.  This  is  a  common  failing  of  all  nations  in  the  world; 
the  virtues  of  the  fathers  exceed  the  virtues  of  the  son,  the  good 
old  days  and  the  good  old  customs  are  the  ones  which  we  wish  to 
perpetuate;  and  therefore  we  picture  in  our  minds  our  grand- 
fathers as  men  of  greater  and  nobler  mould  that  we  ourselves  and 
our  grandmothers  as  more  virtuous,,  more  noble,  and  more-self  sacri- 
ficing than  we  are  capable  of  becoming.  With  the  same  senti- 
mentalism  we  as  a  people  raise  our  heroes  to  the  skies. 

Long  ago  George  Washington  lost  his  human  semblance  and 
rose  to  the  rarified  air  of  the  empyrean.  The  apotheosis  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  has  taken  place  before  the  very  eyes  of  the  present 
generation.  Already  his  long  shanks  are  resting  on  a  throne  in 
the  skies  beside  the  divine  George.  How  uncomfortable  both  these 
men  who  were  so  human  in  all  that  made  up  their  characters 
must  feel  as  they  sit  there  weighed  down  by  their  golden  crowns 
and  their  royal  mantles !  We  go  further  and  are  inclined  to  deify 
even  the  humble  souls  who  have  participated  in  our  past.  The 
pioneer  is  no  longer  human,  but  divine,  no  longer  a  man  with 
human  vices,  but  a  hero  of  gigantic  proportions.  He  must  be 
pictured  as  invariably  just  and  noble  in  his  dealings  though  living 
in  the  midst  of  the  violence  of  the  wilderness ;  though  uneducated, 
as  rising  to  heights  of  political  wisdom  seldom  reached  by  his  des- 
cendants. We  would  drag  back  the  generation  of  civilized  men 
to  the  ruder  virtues  of  primitive  times.  Such  a  conception  of  the 
frontier  is  by  no  means  true.  The  conditions  in  Illinois  at  the 
time  it  became  a  State  were  not  very  dissimilar  from  the  frontier 
Alaska  of  our  own  days  or  the  pioneer  Montana  of  a  generation 
ago;  the  picture  we  have  of  either  of  these  places  can  scarcely  be 
called  one  of  virtuous  simplicity.  On  the  border  the  uncultivated, 
the  illiterate,  and  the  desperado  rubbed  shoulders  with  the  virtuous 
farmer,  the  college  graduate,  and  the  missionary.  Here  there 
—13  C  C 


194  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

were  fine  examples  of  noble  self-sacrifice;  but  here  also  were  in- 
stances of  selfish  greed  easily  paralleling  anything  we  know  today. 
The  frontier  afforded  a  freedom  which  thrills  the  imagination  of 
a  more  stifled  generation,  it  allowed  also  a  lawlessness  and  license 
which  would  be  intolerable  to  us. 

Illinois  in  passing  from  frontier  conditions  to  a  stage  of 
higher  civilization  lost  nothing  that  was  worth  keeping  and  gained 
much  that  was  of  the  greatest  value.  The  higher  civilization  has 
brought  about  a  greater  solidarity  of  the  people,  a  nobler  sense  of 
duty  to  the  community,  and  more  intelligent  action.  Today  we 
are  in  the  midst  of  a  great  world  event  and  our  people  have  been 
thrilled,  as  they  never  were  before,  by  a  noble  idealism.  When  I 
see  the  young  men  of  all  classes  rush  to  the  call  of  duty  sounding 
from  a  battle  line,  4,000  miles  away,  in  order  to  preserve  to  the 
world  an  ideal,  and  when  I  see  their  sisters  forego  their  pleasures 
in  order  to  devote  themselves  to  a  cause  requiring  a  high  degree 
of  intelligence  to  understand,  I  realize  that  the  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers  who  dressed  in  homely  homespun  were  no  greater 
than  they  even  in  the  simple  virtues  of  self-sacrifice  and  devotion 
to  duty. 

THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL 

GOVERNOR    FRANK   0.    LOWDEN 

Many  people  have  wondered  whether  or  not  Illinois  should 
attempt  a  Centennial  celebration,  in  view  of  the  great  tragedy  which 
enfolds  the  world;  but  after  the  most  careful  consideration  which 
the  Commission  was  able  to  give  to  the  question,  the  decision  was 
reached  that  the  war  was  all  the  more  reason  for  recalling  the  events 
of  our  first  hundred  years.  It  was  believed  that  by  recounting  the 
achievements  of  our  past  we  would  be  better  able  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  the  present.  We  knew  that  we  had  a  hundred  years  of 
glorious  history  behind  us,  and  we  believed  that  if  we  had  those 
hundred  years  and  their  achievements  in  our  mind  we  would  more 
readily  be  able  to  meet  the  high  duty  with  which  we  are  confronted 
today,  and  therefore  would  be  more  likely  to  have  another  century 
equally  glorious. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  195 

I  am  not  going,  of  course,  to  make  a  speech  to  you  tonight, 
but  I  do  want  to  read  a  few  words,  before  I  introduce  the  first 
speaker,  from  the  Annals  of  Congress,  which,  as  most  of  you  know, 
is  the  official  record  of  the  proceedings  of  Congress. 

This  State,  a  hundred  years  ago  today,  was  told  by  the  Federal 
Government  at  Washington  that  it  might  organize  itself  as  a  State, 
if  it  so  wished.  Twelve  days  before  the  President  signed  the  bill 
the  following  proceedings  occurred  in  the  House  of  Eepresent- 
atives  at  Washington: 

"The  House  resolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole  on 
the  Bill  to  enable  the  people  of  Illinois  Territory  to  form 
a  Constitution  and  State  Government,  and  for  the  ad- 
mission of  such  State  into  the  Union  on  a  footing  with 
the  original  States. 

"Mr.  Pope,"  who  was  delegate  in  Congress  from  Illinois  Terri- 
tory- 
Amoved  to  amend  the  bill  by  striking  out  the  lines  defin- 
ing the  boundaries  of  the  new  State,  and  to  insert  the 
following :  'Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  Eiver, 
thence  up  the  same,  and  with  the  line  of  Indiana  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  said  State,  thence  east  with  the  line 
of  the  same  State  to  the  middle  of  Lake  Michigan,  thence 
north  along  the  middle  of  said  lake  to  north  latitude  forty- 
two  degrees,  thirty  minutes,  thence  west  to  the  middle 
of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  thence  down  along  the 
middle  of  that  river  to  its  confluence  with  the  Ohio  Eiver, 
and  thence  up  the  latter  river  along  its  northwestern 
shore  to  the  beginning." 

"The  object  of  this  amendment,  Mr.  Pope  said,  was  to  gain, 
for  the  proposed  State,  a  coast  on  Lake  Michigan.  This 
would  afford  additional  security  to  the  perpetuity  of  the 
Union,  inasmuch  as  the  State  would  thereby  be  connected 
with  the  States  of  Indiana,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York,  through  the  Lakes." 

I  doubt  if,  in  all  the  voluminous  records  of  Congress,  from 
the  beginning  until  today,  any  event  has  transpired,  recited  in  so 
few  words  as  this,  which  has  so  affected  the  destiny  of  America  as 


196  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

this  simple  amendment.  Before  it  was  offered,  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  Illinois  was  to  extend  from  a  point  at  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  Lake  Michigan,  west  to  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  Without  this 
amendment  Chicago  would  not  have  been  in  Illinois;  without  this 
amendment  Illinois  would  have  been  a  slave  state,  because  it  was 
that  part  of  the  population  of  the  state  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state  which  saved  it  when  the  great  trial  came;  without  this 
amendment  northern  Illinois  would  have  been  a  part  of  Wisconsin ; 
the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates  would  not  have  occurred,  and  in  all 
human  probability  Lincoln  would  not  have  been  President,  but 
would  have  died  an  obscure  country  lawyer ! 

So  I  read  these  simple,  unpretentious  lines  from  that  rather 
dry  and  dusty  record  of  the  proceedings  of  Congress,  to  show  to 
the  people  of  Illinois  that  a  hundred  years  ago  a  Providence  seemed 
to  be  with  her,  shaping  the  great  destiny  that  has  come;  and  if 
there  ever  was  a  time  in  our  history  when  faith  in  a  Providence 
guiding  the  destiny  of  State  and  nations  was  needed,  that  time  is 
now! 

The  first  speaker  of  the  evening,  Monsieur  Louis  Aubert,  a 
member  of  the  High  Commission  of  France,  a  distinguished  scholar 
and  writer,  is  doubly  welcome  to  our  midst.  Illinois'  early  history 
concerns  itself  principally  with  French  names.  Marquette,  Joliet, 
LaSalle  and  Tonti  are  among  the  great  names  of  her  early  days. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  our  early  traditions  is  the  visit  of 
LaFayette,  upon  his  return  to  America.  This  State  has  cherished 
with  affectionate  pride  every  incident  of  that  visit;  and  when  you 
visit  southern  Illinois  today  the  first  things  of  which  they  will 
remind  you  are  the  spots  and  scenes  of  LaFayette's  early  visit. 

I  want  also  to  say  to  Monsieur  Aubert  that  Illinois'  first  Con- 
stitution was  probably  the  only  Constitution  ever  framed  by  any 
government  which  was  expressly  drawn  so  that  a  Frenchman  might 
be  a  public  official.  When  the  fathers  of  a  hundred  years  ago  con- 
vened, they  provided  qualifications  of  citizenship  for  every  one 
else  for  whom  an  office  was  created,  but  expressly  and  purposely 
omitted  to  include  the  Lieutenant-Governor  as  coming  within  those 
qualifications  in  order  that  old  Pierre  Menard  might  be  the  first 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Illinois. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  197 

Those  early  memories  have  been  greatly  strengthened  for  us 
of  this  generation,  in  Illinois,  by  the  visit  a  year  ago  of  Marshal 
Joffre  and  Monsieur  Viviani.  It  seemed  to  us  fitting  then  that 
the  hero  of  the  battle  of  the  Marne  should  come  to  our  city  and 
with  loving  hands  should  bear  to  Lincoln's  tomb  a  wreath  and  lay 
it  upon  his  bier,  because  of  all  the  peoples  of  all  time  who  have 
battled  heroically  for  the  principles  for  which  Lincoln  lived  and 
died,  the  French  nation  during  these  years  occupies  the  forefront. 

These  are  gloomy  days.  We  have  all  of  us  been  under  more 
or  less  depression;  and  the  best  comfort  I  have  had  recently  was 
coming  across  a  report  that  another  great  Frenchman,  General 
Foch,  sent  from  the  field  of  the  battle  of  the  Marne  to  General 
Joifre  at  perhaps  the  critical  moment  in  that  battle.  I  am  going 
to  read  that  order: 

"My  right  has  been  rolled  up;  my  left  has  been  driven 

back ;  my  center  has  been  smashed ;  I  have  ordered  an  advance 

from  all  directions." 

I  don't  know — maybe  at  this  moment  they  have  rolled  up  our 
right,  on  the  western  battle  front;  they  may  have  pushed  back  our 
left;  they  may  have  smashed  our  center;  but  while  the  spirit  of 
France  lives  and  while  the  Allied  armies  are  commanded  by  Gen- 
eral Foch,  we  will  order  an  advance  all  along  the  line!  And  as 
heroic  France,  in  the  battle  of  the  Marne,  saved  the  day  for  civiliz- 
ation, so  we,  the  Allies,  in  the  most  sacred  cause  for  which  men 
have  ever  fought  or  ever  died,  will  save  the  world  to  the  civiliza- 
tion which  it  has  taken  so  many  centuries  to  attain. 

It  is  my  great  pleasure,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to  introduce 
to  you  the  very  distinguished  Frenchman,  Monsieur  Louis  Aubert. 


M.   LOUIS   AUBERT,   MEMBER   OF  THE  FRENCH   HIGH 
COMMISSION  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  thank  you  for  the 
privilege  of  addressing  you  tonight  in  the  name  of  France.  In 
wishing  that  my  country  be  represented  at  this  commemoration, 
you  have  given  once  more  an  evidence  of  that  charming  virtue  of 
the  American  people: — Gratitude. 


198  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

From  1825,  when  General  LaFayette  came  to  this  State,  up  to 
1917,  the  date  of  the  visit  of  M.  Viviani  and  Marshal  Joffre 
America,  has  welcomed  many  illustrious  Frenchmen. 

Today,  the  greetings  of  France  are  brought  to  you  by  a  more 
modest  soldier.  I  hope  you  will  not  deem  these  greetings  less  warm 
and  less  sincere. 

Gentlemen,  as  it  has  been  your  delicate  idea  to  give  to  our 
meeting  of  tonight  the  character  of  a  family  reunion,  let  us  speak 
first  of  our  ancestors. 

A  Frenchman  cannot  glance  at  a  map  of  your  State  without 
being  deeply  moved  by  souvenirs  from  the  old  country.  Names  of 
cities,  Joliet,  LaSalle,  Vincennes — names  of  forts,  Fort  St.  Louis, 
Fort  Chartres,  Fort  Crevecoeur,  how  sweet  those  names  sound 
to  a  French  ear  especially  when  heard  far  away  from  France ! 

But,  Gentlemen,  there  is  something  more  eloquent  than  these 
stones  or  these  names,  now  dear  chiefly  to  archaeologists :  it  is  the 
dream,  the  magnificent  dream  of  which  they  are  the  last  humble 
witnesses. 

The  first  white  men  to  set  eyes  on  the  incomparable  landscape 
of  this  great  valley  were  Frenchmen :  Marquette,  Joliet,  Cavelier 
de  LaSalle.  The  grand  empire,  the  creation  of  which  seemed 
invited  by  these  beautiful  waterways  flowing  between  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  had  its  inception  in  French 
minds. 

What  you  realized  in  this,  the  most  splendid  cradle  of  energy 
and  boldness  in  the  world,  was  first  the  dream  of  French  pioneers. 

These  stones,  however,  these  French  names  scattered  over 
your  territory  do  not  merely  bespeak  dreams  of  by-gone  days :  they 
attest  the  dominating  and  still  enduring  qualities  which  our  race 
has  manifested  with  a  persistency  of  which  any  race  might  be 
proud. 

The  idealism  of  a  Marquette,  of  a  LaSalle,  who  were  neither 
conquerors  nor  merchants  but  merely  explorers  impelled  by  a 
scientific  curiosity  or  a  religious  proselytism — their  bravery  coupled 
with  prudence,  their  tenacity,  their  love  of  peace  which  made  them 
act  as  umpires  between  rival  tribes,  their  spirit  of  kindness  toward 
the  natives,  all  these  traits  of  our  ancestors  we  find  in  our  explorers 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  199 

and  soldiers  of  the  19th  century,  and  today  we  find  them  in  Brazza, 
who  won  for  France  the  immense  region  of  the  Congo  without 
shedding  a  drop  of  blood,  in  General  Lyautey  who,  almost  without 
drawing  the  sword,  has  given  Morocco  the  benefit  of  French  peace. 
And  now,  in  this  hour  of  emergency,  France  is  reaping  the 
reward  of  this  human  spirit  in  this  war  in  which  all  her  subjects, 
black,  white  or  yellow,  have  rallied  with  enthusiasm  around  her 


No  indeed,  the  descendants  of  Joliet,  Marquette,  Cavelier  de 
LaSalle  have  not  degenerated  into  the  old  stay-at-home  decadent 
race  that  the  Germans  were  so  pleased  to  picture.  They  have 
proved  it  to  these  same  Germans  at  the  Marne,  at  Verdun,  and 
they  are  proving  it  today  in  the  Oise,  the  Somme  and  the  Lys 
valleys. 

Likewise,  I  can  safely  predict  that  the  qualities  of  your  fron- 
tiersmen will  come  out  in  the  sons  of  Illinois  who  are  to  fight  in 
France ! 

I  well  remember  when  I  was  in  the  trenches  over  there  how, 
in  order  to  find  an  analogy  to  the  strange  existence  I  was  thrown 
into,  I,  who  had  always  lived  in  cities  and  whom  war  had  surprised 
in  a  study,  had  to  go  back  to  a  chapter  of  your  historian  Frederick 
J.  Turner,  on  "the  significance  of  the  frontier  in  American 
history." 

These  trenches  marked  the  farthest  line  of  our  civilization. 
Beyond  the  barbed  wire  was  "No  man's  land."  Every  night,  in 
our  patrols  or  reconnaissances,  we  would  creep  always  in  the  same 
direction  towards  the  listening  posts,  guided  only  by  the  odors  and 
the  sounds  brought  to  us  by  the  wind.  Gradually,  the  traces  of 
our  steps  made  a  trail  like  the  trails  of  the  "coureurs  de  bois." 
Then,  later  on  when  we  pushed  forward  our  lines  and  advanced 
into  "No  man's  land,"  these  trails  which  then  were  used  to  bring 
supplies  were  widened  into  paths,  then  wagon  roads  and  finally 
into  railroads.  So,  in  our  turn,  we  passed  through  the  different 
stages  of  your  frontier  life.  And  when,  later,  I  heard  of  the  skill 
and  eargerness  of  the  American  soldiers  in  reconnoitering,  I  was 
not  surprised :  they  are  the  worthy  sons  of  the  frontiersmen. 


200  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Gentlemen,  there  is  another  trait  of  your  ancestors  that  our 
ancestors  helped  to  develop  in  addition  to  the  spirit  of  boldness 
and  energy:  it  is  the  spirit  of  freedom.  Your  historians  have 
pointed  out  how  your  revolutionary  spirit  was  stimulated  by  this 
large  territory  suddenly  thrown  open  to  the  industrial  conquest 
of  a  numerous,  hardy  and  independent  people.  It  is  because  the 
exploration  by  Frenchmen  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  hastened  the 
day  of  that  Declaration  of  Independence  for  which  fought  La- 
Fayette  and  Kochambeau.  It  is  because  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
qualities  of  your  race  were  prepared  and  assisted  by  those  French- 
men who  blazed  the  way  for  your  spirit  of  enterprise  and  made  it 
possible  for  you  to  satisfy  your  love  of  freedom,  that  from  the 
very  beginning  up  to  today,  the  image  of  France  has  been  firmly 
implanted,  to  use  Dr.  Finley's  words,  in  the  very  heart  of  America. 
That  true  spirit  of  freedom  of  your  West,  no  one  better  than  your 
great  fellow-citizen,  Lincoln,  has  expressed  when  he  said:  "I 
never  had  a  feeling,  politically,  that  did  not  spring  from  the  senti- 
ments embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  *  *  *." 
Then  speaking  of  the  inspiration  derived  from  that  document,  he 
went  on  to  show  that  "it  gave  liberty  not  alone  to  the  people  of 
the  country  but  hope  to  all  the  world  for  all  further  time." 

Then  it  is  not  an  accident  if  the  so  inspired  words  that  Lin- 
coln applied  to  the  Civil  War  apply  equally  well  to  our  great  war 
of  today. 

When  he  stated  the  impossibility  for  America  to  live  "half 
slave  and  half  free"  did  he  not  define  exactly  our  own  position? 

Has  any  one  ever  written  anything  that  fits  more  adequately 
the  present  situation  than  this  sentence  that  one  never  tires  of 
quoting : 

"We  accepted  this  war  for  an  object,  a  worthy  object,  and  the 
war  will  end  when  that  object  is  attained.  Under  God,  I  hope  it 
will  never  end  until  that  time." 

We  were  not  the  aggressors  any  more  than  you  were.  It  was 
not  our  love  of  adventure  which  drove  us  into  this  war,  but  the 
necessity  of  fighting  for  our  liberty.  With  the  admirable  patience 
with  which,  for  more  than  two  years  and  a  half,  you  opposed  Ger- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  201 

man  outrages,  we,  their  immediate  neighbors,  opposed  their  exact- 
ing demands  and  provocations  for  forty-three  years. 

Challenged  to  a  fight  to  death,  we  have  sacrificed  everything, 
land  and  men,  without  stint.  For  over  three  years  and  a  half, 
out  of  a  population  that  the  invasion  has  reduced  to  35  millions, 
France  has  mobilized  seven  and  a  half  million  men.  Previous  to 
the  last  drive,  three  million  French  soldiers  in  the  army  zone  were 
holding  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  Western  front. 

Before  the  present  battle,  that  effort  had  already  cost  us: 
1,300,000  killed  in  action  or  dead  from  wounds  received  in  battle. 
About  1,000,000  maimed  and  invalided — that  is  a  decrease  of  two 
millions  and  a  half  out  of  our  adult  population,  which  to  America 
would  proportionately  mean  a  loss  of  nearly  six  million  men. 

All  our  forces  have  been  thrown  into  the  fight:  the  results 
are  that  our  wheat  crops  have  been  reduced  by  two-thirds,  our 
shipyards  have  manufactured  only  guns  and  shells  instead  of  ships, 
and  our  export  business  has  been  practically  stopped. 

All  those  sacrifices  we  have  accepted  without  complaint,  not 
only  to  defend  our  homes,  but  also  to  defend  a  great  cause. 

We  never  fought  a  separate  selfish  war.  Our  reserves  in  man 
power  and  material  we  have  always  placed,  in  the  hour  of  need, 
at  the  disposal  of  Serbia,  of  Italy;  and  today  in  Picardy  and 
Flanders,  our  divisions  fight  side  by  side  with  our  gallant  allies, 
the  British. 

With  more  than  half  of  our  coal  fields  and  over  80  per  cent 
of  our  iron  deposits  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy,  we  have  man- 
aged, not  merely  to  set  up  entirely  new  industries  to  equip  our 
armies,  but  we  have  been  able  to  help  our  Allies,  to  whom,  up  to 
October,  1917,  we  had  sent :  1,500,000  rifles,  2,500  guns  and  4,750 
airplanes;  and  you  know  that  when  you  came  into  the  war  we 
guaranteed  that,  provided  raw  materials  should  be  supplied,  we 
could  equip  with  guns  and  airplanes  all  American  divisions  brought 
over  to  France  before  July  1,  1918. 

That  we  did,  and  today  we  have  full  confidence  in  your  co- 
operation to  the  end.  Upon  the  occasion  of  the  first  anniversary 
of  your  entrance  into  the  war,  your  newspapers  have  reviewed  the 


202  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

extent  of  your  effort.  Your  effort  has  been  tremendous  and  its 
results  are  already  very  important. 

General  Pershing's  action  in  placing  all  his  resources  in  men 
and  material  at  the  disposal  of  General  Foch,  has  deeply  touched 
the  heart  of  France.  We  know  that  your  whole  nation  is  at  heart 
with  that  action  and  that  all  of  you  are  ready  to  amplify  it  in 
placing  all  your  resources  at  the  disposal  of  our  common  cause. 
The  success  of  your  Liberty  Loan  will  show  it  plainly.  President 
Wilson's  decision  to  brigade  small  American  units  .into  larger 
units  of  the  French  and  British  armies,  reminds  us  of  those  of 
our  revolutionary  government  amalgamating  the  young  recruits 
of  Liberty  among  old  seasoned  troops  and  you  know  the  lesson 
Austrians  and  Prussians  were  taught  during  the  campaigns  of  the 
French  Eevolution  at  the  hands  of  those  troops  that  their  love  of 
liberty  made  invincible. 

The  present  battle,  cruel  as  it  is,  has  already  brought  serious 
and  lasting  advantages  to  the  cause  of  the  Allies.  The  first  is  the 
unity  of  command.  We  now  have  a  generalisimo,  a  common  leader, 
who  is  alone  responsible  for  the  strategy  of  the  battle.  Be  assured 
that,  when  the  time  comes,  he  will  know  where  to  strike  the  blow. 
The  second  advantage  is  a  greater  unity  of  judgment.  We  now 
cherish  less  illusions  than  formerly  about  the  sufferings  of  our 
enemies,  their  revolutionary  discontent,  their  disposition  towards 
a  negotiated  peace.  Such  a  peace,  the  Germans  mention  less  and 
less  since  they  have  treated  with  Eussia,  Ukraina  and  Eoumania; 
they  are  gorged  with  lands  to  profit  by  and  peoples  to  dominate 
and,  even  those  who  voted  in  favor  of  a  peace  of  conciliation  in  the 
Eeichstag  in  July  last,  are  the  first  now  to  speake  of  necessary  an- 
nexations in  Belgium  and  in  the  French  region  of  Briey. 

Each  autumn  since  1915  the  military  leaders  of  Germany  have 
made  her  people  feel  that  war  pays:  Serbia  crushed  in  1915. 
Part  of  Eoumania  in  1916  and  Eussia  and  Ukraina  and  the  whole 
of  Boumania  at  the  end  of  1917.  The  Germans'  hands  are  full, 
one  more  effort  and  all  these  gains  will  be  insured  for  ever.  The 
magnitude  of  the  stake  is  worth  the  boldest  venture.  Let  us  not 
rely  on  Austria  either.  Not  that  she  would  not  like  to  make  peace 
— all  the  recent  revelations  of  the  secret  negotiations  which  for  a 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  203 

year  Austria  has  tried  to  bring  about,  clearly"  indicate  her  desire 
to  come  out  of  the  war,  but  Austria  in  a  military  way  and  industri- 
ally and  financially  speaking  is  only  a  vassal  receiving  orders  from 
Berlin. 

Let  us  not  rely  on  our  enemies,  on  the  diplomacy  that  might 
divide  them.  Let  us  rely  on  ourselves.  Let  us  rely  on  the  valour 
of  our  armies  to  bring  about  peace  and  let  us  take  to  heart  the 
words  of  President  Wilson:  "Force,  force  to  the  utmost,  force 
without  stint  or  limit,  the  righteous  and  triumphant  force  which 
shall  make  right  the  law  of  the  world/' 

Gentlemen,  the  spirit  in  which  France  entered  this  war,  the 
spirit  in  which  she  carries  it  through  is  the  best  test  of  the  spirit 
in  which  she  means  to  conclude  peace. 

You  entered  this  war  without  territorial  ambitions,  you  en- 
tered it  for  a  principle.  So  did  we!  Do  you  believe  that  our 
country  could  and  would  have  stood  her  enormous  material  losses 
and  her  frightful  sacrifices  in  men  if  she  had  been  prompted  only 
by  greed  ?  Poor  bargain,  indeed ! 

No,  the  spirit  that  has  animated  the  French  soldiers  since 
August,  1914,  is  a  spirit  of  crusade,  and  if  our  national  aspirations 
are  summed  up  in  the  names  of  Alsace-Lorraine,  it  is  because  to 
us  Alsace-Lorraine  embodies  the  very  spirit  of  this  crusade. 

Last  October,  before  the  Eeichstag,  Herr  von  Kuhlmann  ex- 
claimed :  "Alsace-Lorraine  is  the  symbol  of  the  German  Empire." 
Yes,  Alsace-Lorraine  annexed  in  spite  of  the  unanimous  protests 
of  its  inhabitants,  Alsace-Lorraine  under  German  yoke  for  43  years 
has  been  the  symbol  of  this  brutal  empire  which  already  before 
the  war  had  enslaved  all  its  neighbors,  the  Danes  of  Slesvig,  the 
Poles  of  Prussian  Poland,  and,  during  this  war  has  subjected 
Courland,  Esthonia,  Luthuania,  Poland,  Koumania,  Servia,  Russia, 
and  through  Turkey  Armenia. 

The  return  of  Alsace-Lorraine  to  France  on  the  contrary  would 
consecrate  the  victory  of  the  principle  for  which  we  are  all  fight- 
ing! It  has  become  the  symbol  of  the  right  of  people  to  dispose 
of  themselves. 

"Citizens  possessed  of  souls  and  intelligence  are  not  merchan- 
dise to  be  traded  and  therefore  it  is  not  lawful  to  make  them  the 


204  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

subject  of  contract,"  objected  to  their  new  masters  the  newly  an- 
nexed Alsatian-Lorrainers  through  their  representatives  in  the 
Reichstag  in  1874. 

And  President  Wilson  echoed  the  same  sentiment  when  he 
said  last  February : 

"Peoples  and  provinces  are  not  to  be  bartered  about  from 
sovereignty  to  sovereignty  as  if  they  were  mere  chattels  and  pawns 
in  a  game." 

Gentlemen,  when  Herr  Von  Kuhlmann  or  Count  Czernin 
proclaim  that  Alsace-Lorraine  is  the  only  obstacle  to  peace,  do  not 
believe  them.  At  the  Peace  Conference,  there  will  be  other  ques- 
tions to  settle  to  make  the  world  safe  for  democracy.  Alsace- 
Lorraine  is  only  one  of  the  fourteen  peace  conditions  enumerated 
by  President  Wilson.  No,  Alsace-Lorraine  is  not  the  only  ob- 
stacle to  peace.  But  no  peace  is  possible  without  the  return  of 
Alsace-Lorraine  to  France,  for  the  brutal  severance  of  these  French 
provinces  was  the  first  crime  of  the  new  German  Empire  against 
democracy  and  out  of  that  crime  have  come  all  the  others  that 
have  astounded  the  world. 

Listen  to  the  final  touching  words  of  farewell  that  the  popu- 
lations of  Alsace-Lorraine  addressed  to  the  French  National  As- 
sembly in  Bordeaux,  forty-seven  years  ago,  and  remember  that 
when  they  were  repeated  before  the  Eeichstag  in  1874,  they  were 
met  with  sneers  and  laughter. 

"Your  brothers  of  Alsace-Lorraine,  now  cut  off  from  the  com- 
mon family  will  preserve  for  France,  absent  from  their  hearths, 
a  filial  affection  until  the  day  when  she  shall  resume  her  rightful 
place  here  once  more." 

Gentlemen,  note  these  words — brothers,  family,  filial  affec- 
tion, hearths  *  *  *.  It  is  the  whole  question  of  Alsace-Lor- 
raine ! 

And  after  forty-seven  years,  your  President,  whose  only  con- 
cern is  a  lasting  peace  through  justice,  has  heard  the  protests  and 
pronounced  this  verdict: 

"The  wrong  done  to  France  by  Prussia  in  1871  in  the  matter 
of  Alsace-Lorraine  which  has  unsettled  the  peace  of  the  world  for 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  205 

nearly  fifty  years  should  be  righted  in  order  that  peace  may  once 
more  be  made  secure  in  the  interest  of  all." 

At  present  the  recruits  of  Illinois,  your  own  sons,  are  perhaps 
occupying  in  French  Lorraine,  at  St.  Mihiel  or  Aux  Eparges,  the 
sectors  which  face  the  Lorraine  still  occupied  by  the  Germans.  If 
some  day  France  owes  to  their  gallantry  the  recovery  of  her  chil- 
dren which  were  torn  away  from  her,  gentlemen,  then  you  will 
know  that  your  sons  have  been  the  soldiers  of  Eight ! 

Your  forefathers  and  ours  were  empire  builders.  It  is  for  us 
to  show  that  their  spirit  may  prompt  us  now  to  build  up  a  world 
better  than  the  one  we  have  known. 

In  the  first  place,  we  will  have  to  reconstruct  France.  You 
will  help  us.  France  feels  that  in  the  past  as  well  as  during  this 
war,  she  has  served  mankind.  In  the  interest  of  mankind  you 
will  help  us  to  rebuild  France. 

We  will  have  to  reclaim  "No  man's  land"  and  bring  back  life 
into  the  field  of  death.  For  this  undertaking  of  peace,  of  civiliza- 
tion and  happiness,  I  look  forward  to  the  cooperation  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  French  and  American  settlers  who  raised  your 
fair  State  of  Illinois  out  of  the  wilderness  of  the  prairies. 

We  will  also  have  the  world  to  reconstruct.  This  war  has 
shown  most  plainly  that  there  is  no  safety  for  a  free  state  except 
in  a  close  partnership  with  all  other  free  states,  respectful  of  each 
others'  rights! 

During  this  war,  the  nations  most  jealous  of  their  national 
prerogatives  had  to  sacrifice  something  of  their  pride  and  accept 
the  control  of  international  organizations. 

After  the  war,  something  must  survive  of  this  union.  We 
must  discard  the  policy  of  laissez-faire"  and  establish  in  its  stead 
a  better  justice  and  a  great  efficiency.  The  antiquated  conception 
of  the  balance  of  power  must  give  way  to  a  new  regime.  What 
will  this  regime  be?  We  know  already  the  one  that  the  German 
kultur  would  set  up.  It  would  control  the  whole  of  Europe  and 
reach  out  to  Persia  and  India,  and  the  Far  East.  And  once  in 
control  of  Europe  and  Asia  the  Kaiser,  as  he  bluntly  told  you, 
would  stand  no  nonsense  from  America.  So,  in  the  end,  it  would 


206  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

amount  to  nothing  less  than  the  domination  by  the  Germans  of 
land,  sea,  sky  and  man. 

The  American  conception  of  the  new  order  is  quite  different. 
You  know  what  it  is,  you  Westerners,  who  have  the  far-seeing  eye 
of  the  prairies,  you  citizens  of  Illinois,  who  gave  to  America  the 
man  who  saved  the  Union.  You  have  realized  on  this  continent 
a  Federal  organization  which,  while  respecting  the  rights  of  the 
states,  is  strong  enough  to  insure  fair  relations  between  them.  The 
society  of  nations  is  nothing  else,  gentlemen,  but  the  American 
spirit  extended  to  the  world. 

Perhaps  our  generation  will  see  this  League  of  Nations  re- 
alized. Meanwhile,  we  must  modestly  begin  by  practising  its 
spirit  among  our  two  countries,  whose  mutual  feelings  for  the  last 
hundred  years  are  the  surest  promise  of  a  better  world  to  come. 

Let  us  set  ourselves  to  this  momentous  task  with  the  spirit 
of  those  builders  and  settlers  who  are  our  ancestors.  When  they 
cleared  the  forest  in  the  wilderness,  they  dreamed  of  the  city  which 
would  rise  some  day  near  that  clearing.  It  would  be  a  beautiful 
city,  open  to  all,  where  all  men  of  goodwill  would  have  a  chance, 
where  all  men  respectful  of  the  rights  of  their  fellows  would  live 
free. 

Gentlemen,  let  us  carry  this  dream  one  step  further — let  us 
work  for  a  society  of  nations  open  to  all  peoples  of  goodwill  and 
where  all  nations,  great  and  small,  will  have  the  place  they  deserve. 


THE  CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS. 

ILLINOIS — THE  LAND  OF  MEN 

EDGAR  A.  BANCROFT 

We  are  here  tonight  to  celebrate  with  joy  and  pride  both 
the  growth  and  achievements  of  our  State  during  its  first  hun- 
dred years.  But  we  do  not  forget — we  can  not  forget — how  much 
back  of  that  century,  and  how  much  now  in  this  world-shatter- 
ing and  saddening  war  we  owe  to  France.  As  America  has  recalled 
proudly  her  debt  to  her  in  the  days  of  LaFayette,  so  Illinois  should 
remember  what  she  owes  to  the  France  of  nearly  a  century  before — 
France  the  bravest,  most  generous  and  liberty  loving  of  nations. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATION 8  207 

Doctor  Finley — whose  absence,  compelled  by  a  distant  and  im- 
portant mission,  we  all  regret — has  told  with  rare  poetic  insight 
the  romantic  story  of  the  earlier  explorations  of  this  region  in  his 
lectures  before  the  Sorbonne,  which  he  has  collected  in  a  book  en- 
titled, "France  in  the  Heart  of  America."  In  the  preface,  written 
since  the  war  began,  he  gave  this  title  a  sentimental  as  well  as  a 
geographical  turn.  How  truly  was  France  in  the  heart  of  America ! 
And  with  what  profound  satisfaction  we  recognize  tonight  that 
America  is  in  the  heart  of  France  in  fact  no  less  than  in  sentiment ! 
Precious  as  are  our  past  obligations  to  this  heroic  people,  our 
future  ties  to  them  should  be  ever  sacred. 

When  General  Pershing  laid  a  wreath  of  roses  on  LaFayette's 
tomb  he  raised  his  hand  in  salute  and  said  with  soldierly  brevity, 
"LaFayette,  we  are  here!"  So,  we  may  say,  "France,  you  have 
long  been  here ;  we  rejoice  that  we  are  now  there;  for  we  both  know 
that  our  cause  is  the  same." 

When  the  vanguard  of  America's  army  marched  through  the 
rejoicing  streets  of  Paris  last  June,  little  French  children  knelt 
down  at  the  curb  as  Old  Glory  passed.  They  felt  and  expressed  it 

all.     Since  then  the  heart  of  America  has  been  in  France. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Let  us  first  recall  briefly  that  earlier  time  of  picturesque  and 
chivalrous  adventuring. 

It  was  the  French  who  first  explored  this  region  and  made  it 
known  to  the  world — soldiers  seeking  new  domains  for  the  lilies 
of  France;  missionaries  seeking  converts  to  the  Christian  faith; 
voyageurs  seeking  profit  and  adventure  in  this  wild  land.  LaSalle, 
Marquette,  Joliet,  Hennepin,  and  their  associates  were  the  real 
discoverers  of  this  vast  expanse  along  the  Upper  Mississippi,  with 
its  fertile  soil,  natural  beauty,  abundant  game  and  peaceful  Indians. 
They  mapped  and  named  the  water  courses  and  other  natural  land- 
marks and  the  Indian  villages.  They  established  forts,  founded 
missions,  marked  the  trails  and  the  sites  for  trading  which  they 
learned  from  the  Indians.  They  were  everywhere  the  forerunners 
of  the  pioneers.  But  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  French  established 
no  enduring  settlements.  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia  and  Peoria,  Fort 


208  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Saint  Louis  (now  Starved  Bock)  and  Fort  Crevecceur,  founded 
by  the  French  fathers  and  soldiers,  and  nearly  all  their  other  out- 
posts of  civilization  languished  unless  and  until  they  were  taken 
over  by  American  or  English  pioneers. 

It  is  to  the  intrepid  missionary,  Pere  Marquette,  that  the 
State  owes  its  name.  Exploring  the  Mississippi,  he  came  upon  the 
footprints  of  a  large  band  of  Indians.  Overtaking  them,  he  asked 
who  they  were.  They  thrilled  him  with  their  answer:  "We  are 
the  Illini — the  tribe  of  men."  Thus,  this  great  land  of  prairies 
and  wooded  water  courses  between  the  rivers,  and  the  lake  became 
the  Illinois  territory,  and  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  later  the 
State  of  Illinois.  And  the  whole  significance  of  our  hundred  years 
must  be  found  in  the  deeper  meaning  of  our  name — Illinois,  the 
land  of  men.  For,  no  matter  how  much  we  exalt  quantities  and 
values  and  incomprehensible  numbers,  we  know  that  their  origins 
and  significances  are,  and  must  always  be,  in  men.  Back  of  all 
deeds  is  the  doer,  and  back  of  all  accomplishment  is  individual 

character. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

When  the  Congress  authorized  the  formation  of  this  State, 
and  President  Monroe  signed  the  Enabling  Act  one  hundred  years 
ago  today,  it  was  the  result  of  a  very  brief  campaign  here  and  was 
not  regarded  elsewhere  as  of  special  significance.  Eelatively  little 
discussion  had  preceded  the  presentation  of  the  memorial  from 
the  territory  or  delayed  the  passage  of  the  bill  through  House 
and  Senate.  This  had  been  a  separate  territory  only  ten  years. 
Its  population  was  then  less  than  thirty  thousand,  mostly  from 
slave-holding  states,  and  all  its  settlements,  without  important  ex- 
ception, lay  along  the  water  courses  near  and  south  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois  Eiver.  Though  this  was  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, from  which  slavery  was  excluded  by  the  famous  ordinance  of 
1787,  yet  slavery  existed  here  from  the  days  of  French  control. 
The  census  of  1818  reported  829  "servants  or  slaves." 

*Daniel  Pope  Cook,  the  very  young  and  energetic  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Territory's  chief  newspaper,  the  Western  Intelli- 

*  He  -was  defeated  as  a  candidate  for  the  State's  first  representative  in 
Congress,  but  he  was  appointed  its  first  Attorney  General. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  209 

gencer,  published  at  Kaskaskia,  is  to  be  remembered  as  the  maiii 
factor  in  bringing  forward  and  pressing  the  question  of  statehood 
at  that  time,  when  the  territory  had  scarcely  half  of  the  sixty  thou- 
sand population  required  for  a  state  under  the  ordinance  of  1787. 

Nathaniel  Pope,  our  territorial  delegate,  in  preparing  the  bill, 
fixed  the  northern  boundary  first  at  ten  miles  and  finally  at  fifty 
miles  north  of  the  line  through  the  south  bend  of  Lake  Michigan 
that  had  been  indicated  in  the  ordinance  as  the  boundary  of  a  new 
state.  This  change  of  boundary,  in  order  to  give  Illinois  access  to 
Lake  Michigan,  seemed  of  small  importance  at  the  time,  but  it 
gave  the  State  its  entire  lake  frontage  with  its  great  metropolis 
and  its  fourteen  northern  counties  which  now  have  a  population 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  rest  of  the  State. 

Here  was  a  truly  royal  domain — with  more  acres  of  arable  land 
than  all  England.  It  was,  indeed,  a  new  and  fairer  Mesopotamia, 
with  leagues  on  leagues  of  verdant  prairies,  brilliant  with  wild 
flowers  and  fringed  with  forests  along  the  streams.  Beneath  the 
riches  of  its  deep  black  soil  lay  undreamed  of  wealth  of  coal  and 
oil,  of  lead  and  zinc  and  other  minerals.  Upon  its  lakes  and  rivers 
there  was  no  sail,  only  the  silent  canoe  of  the  Indian  and  the 
voyageur  and  the  slow,  cumbersome  river  boat  of  the  pioneer. 
There  was  no  smoke  cloud  anywhere  of  town  or  factory.  The  rude, 
primitive  salt  works  at  Shawneetown  was  the  solitary  industry  of 
Illinois.  The  blacksmith  and  itinerant  cobbler  supplemented  the 
skill  of  the  pioneer  and  his  wife  in  providing  the  simple  equipment 
and  coarse  clothing  of  the  frontier  life.  The  population — even 
including  the  10,000  who  came  into  the  territory  while  it  was 
framing  a  constitution  for  the  State  and  thus  made  up  the  re- 
quired 40,000,  and  even  including  the  6,000  Indians,  who  were 
practically  the  only  inhabitants  of  the  north  three-quarters  of  the 
territory — amounted  to  only  one  person  to  each  one  and  a  quarter 

square  miles. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

What  miracles  a  hundred  years  have  wrought!     The  popula- 
tion has  increased  from  40,000  to  about  6,000,000 — nearly  twice 
the  population  of  the  thirteen  colonies  in  1776.     The  production 
—14  C  C 


210 

of  Indian  corn  has  increased  from  a  few  thousand  bushels,  then 
produced  by  the  settlers  and  the  Indians,  to  365,654,400  bushels  in 
1917.  The  total  wealth  of  the  State  has  increased  from  $4,000,- 
000  to  $15,000,000,000— nearly  four  thousand  fold;  and  today  the 
value  of  our  productions  from  field  and  factory  and  mine  is  nearly 
$3,000,000,000  a  year.  What  a  contrast  between  the  little,  crude 
salt  works  at  Shawneetown  and  our  vast  and  varied  manufactur- 
ing enterprises  today !  Our  exhaustless  coal  measures,  our  un- 
equaled  railroad  transportation  and  the  easy  access  by  water  to  the 
Nation's  great  iron  ore  supply  have  been  great  factors  in  producing 
these  results.  Illinois  plows,  Illinois  cornplanters  and  Illinois 
harvesting  machines  have  increased  the  food  supply  in  every 
quarter  of  the  world,  as  they  first  increased  it  here.  Illinois  auto- 
matic machinery  and  machine  shop  equipments  are  lightening  the 
labor  of  human  hands  in  all  countries.  Illinois  packing  house 
products  reach  every  corner  of  the  globe,  and  Illinois  watches 
keep  time  for  every  civilized  nation. 

Though  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  may  seem  now  a 
rather  sorry  and  expensive  political  reminiscence,  it  aided  greatly 
in  the  growth  of  Illinois  and  of  Chicago.  Shadrach  Bond,  our 
first  Governor,  recommended  it,  and  his  successors,  through  dis- 
couragements and  disasters  not  a  few,  persevered  until  it  was  com- 
pleted in  1848.  When  the  Erie  Canal  was  finished  in  1826,  the 
commercial  East  and  the  agricultural  West  for  the  first  time  natur- 
ally joined  hands  at  Chicago,  instead  of  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers  as  theretofore.  Chicago  has  been  called  the 
child  of  New  York  and  the  Erie  Canal.  When  the  railroads  came 
later  the  routes  of  commerce  east  and  west  of  Illinois  had  been 
so  far  fixed  through  Chicago,  and  the  natural  influences  were  still 
so  controlling,  that  Chicago's  position  as  the  railroad  center  of 
our  country  was  soon  firmly  established.* 

If  it  seems  one  of  the  chief  marvels  of  our  hundred  years  that 
this  young  State  should  furnish  the  site  of  the  Nation's  second 
and  the  world's  fourth  city,  it  is  because  Illinois  combines  in  the 

•Tucker  of  Virginia  said  in  1818  that  it  cost  the  farmer  one  bushel  or 
•wheat  to  carry  two  to  a  seaport  town  only  eighty  miles  away.  Land  trans- 
portation was  then  limited  by  its  cost  to  100  miles. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  211 

major  and  world-wide  sense  the  granary  and  the  workshop.     The 
legend  of  Chicago's  seal  tells  the  story,  "Urbs  in  horto." 

These  achievements  are  due  to  the  foresight  and  character  of 
the  men,  from  Nathaniel  Pope  down  through  this  wonder-working 
century,  who  discovered  and  developed  the  great  natural  resources 
and  opportunities.  For,  important  as  the  advantages  of  geographic 
and  economic  position  and  of  natural  resources  are  to  such  great 
accomplishments,  they  have  required  here,  as  they  always  do,  an- 
other and  yet  more  important  factor — masterful  men  of  vision. 
These  accomplishments  were  largely  by-products  of  the  moral  and 
political  convictions  and  aspirations  of  the  men  and  women  of 
Illinois.  From  the  beginning  the  people  of  this  State  have  be- 
lieved that  the  principles  of  the  Declaration  and  the  Constitution 
furnish  the  only  sure  foundation  for  a  free  and  civilized  state. 

THE  SLAVEEY  ISSUE 

Though  one-third  of  the  territory  of  Illinois  and  all  of  its 
settlements  in  1818  were  south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line,  and 
the  majority  of  its  population  had  come  from  southern  states,  a 
commonwealth  of  freedom  was  the  ideal  of  those  Illinois  pioneers. 

Geographically  this  State  extended  into  and  bound  together 
the  sections  of  North  and  South.  Likewise  historically  it  held  the 
strategic  place  in  defeating  slavery  and  disunion  and  in  saving  the 
Nation  for  human  freedom. 

The  two  exceptional  and  far-seeing  provisions  in  the  Enabling 
Act  were:  (a)  Changing  the  northern  boundary,  and  (b)  giving 
three  of  the  five  per  cent  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  (which  had 
usually  been  set  apart  for  public  roads)  to  the  cause  of  public 
education.'* 

The  Constitution  under  which  the  State  was  admitted  con- 
tained rather  complicated  provisions  as  to  slavery,  that  in  effect 
recognized  and  legalized  its  existence  as  an  indentured  servitude 
under  rigid  restrictions  for  a  limited  time,  but  definitely  provided 
for  its  abolition  within  a  generation. 

The  real  fight  over  slavery  in  Illinois  came  with  the  election 
of  Edward  Coles  as  the  second  Governor  in  1822.  He  was  a  Vir- 


*  One-sixth  of  the  total  to  go  to  the  founding  of  a  college  or  university. 


212  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

ginian  of  education  and  high  connections  and  substantial  property. 
He  had  been  private  secretary  to  President  Madison,  and  was  a 
special  ambassador  to  Eussia  in  1817.  He  inherited  slaves,  and, 
on  his  way  to  Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1819,  he  freed  some  twenty 
or  more,  but  brought  them  to  Illinois  and  gave  160  acres  of  land 
to  each  head  of  a  family.  He  was  known  to  be  strongly  opposed 
to  slavery.  In  the  election  of  1823  the  slavery  party  elected  the 
Lieutenant  Governor  and  controlled  both  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature by  large  majorities.  Governor  Coles,  in  his  first  message, 
recommended  the  freeing  of  the  slaves  and  the  revision  of  the 
black  laws  for  the  protection  of  free  negroes.  The  slavery  party 
met  this  challenge  by  passing  through  the  legislature,  by  the 
necessary  two-thirds  votes,  a  resolution  for  a  constitutional  con- 
vention. Its  sole  purpose  was  to  protect  slavery  in  Illinois.  The 
question  then  went  to  the  voters  and  a  bitter  campaign  was  waged 
in  the  summer  of  1824.  Although  substantially  the  entire  popu- 
lation was  in  the  southern  half  of  the  State  and  had  come  mainly 
from  the  slave  states,  Governor  Coles  won  a  great  victory.  Of 
the  11,612  voters  then  in  the  State,  6,640  voted  against  the  con- 
stitutional convention,  which  meant  against  slavery,  and  4,972  in 
its  favor.  This  settled  finally  the  character  of  Illinois  as  a  free 
State,  and  thus  at  once  stimulated  immigration  from  the  free  states 
of  the  North.  It  also  showed  that  the  southern  stream  of  settlers, 
that  came  first,  held  largely  the  same  enlightened  views  as  those 
who  came  later  from  New  England  and  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

It  was  Senator  Douglas  of  Illinois  who,  a  generation  later, 
revived  as  a  national  issue  the  question  of  slavery  by  his  bill  to 
repeal  the  Missouri  compromise.  Out  of  that  controversy  sprang 
the  candidacy  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  United  States  Senate 
and  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debates  of  1858.  Lincoln  came  from 
Kentucky,  a  slave  state,  while  Douglas  came  from  Vermont.  Lin- 
coln, convinced  that  slavery  was  wrong,  stood  firmly  against  its 
extension.  Douglas,  though  born  and  educated  in  New  England, 
sought  the  path  of  compromise,  and  was  more  hostile  to  abolition- 
ists than  to  slaveholders.  In  their  debates  they  made  Illinois  the 
platform  upon  which  the  essential  moral  quality  of  this  issue  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  213 

the  impossibility  of  permanent  compromise  were  strikingly  shown 
to  the  American  people. 

In  the  Civil  War  Illinois  rose  to  her  supreme  height  in  the 
contributions  she  made  to  the  cause  of  freedom  and  union  through 
President  Lincoln,  General  Grant,  Senator  Trumbull,  Eichard 
Yates,  our  War  Governor,  General  Logan,  General  Palmer,  Gen- 
eral Oglesby  and  many  more,  who,  at  the  front — 255,000  brave 
sons — in  the  Congress,  in  the  Legislature  and  in  private  life  de- 
voted themselves  with  unselfish  ardor  to  saving  our  Eepublic.  The 
war  ended  forever  the  question  of  slavery,  which  had  divided  our 
State  and  Nation  for  so  many  years,  and  the  cause  for  which  Love- 
joy  gave  his  life  at  Alton  in  1837  was  won.  And  the  great  lead- 
ers who  were  so  conspicuous  in  our  first  fifty  years  are  our  most 
inspiring  possessions,  our  most  abiding  influences. 

EDUCATION 

Though  the  Enabling  Act  wisely  provided  that'  the  larger 
portion  of  the  proceeds  from  public  lands  within  the  State  should 
go  to  education  (because,  as  he  so  erroneously  stated,  the  Illinois 
country  did  not  need  much  money  for  good  roads!)  Nathaniel 
Pope's  wise  foresight  was  vain.  Funds  from  this  source  were  ab- 
sorbed and  lost  in  the  later  craze  for  public  improvements. 

While  schools  and  churches  were  almost  the  first  desires  of 
many  Illinois  pioneers,  public  education  here  as  elsewhere,  was 
very  slowly  developed.  During  the  first  fifty  years  the  real  centers 
of  learning  and  enlightenment  were  the  communities  where  private 
initiative  and  gifts  had  founded  academies  and  denominational 
colleges.  They  offered  the  opportunity  of  a  liberal  education  to 
the  children  of  the  poor  and  well-to-do  alike.  Shurtleff,  McKen- 
dree,  Illinois  and  Knox  Colleges  were  early  examples  of  these  cen- 
ters of  moral  and  mental  enlightenment  and  progress  in  this  State. 
They  constantly  drew  hither  the  more  desirable  settlers,  and 
through  their  students  and  graduates  disseminated  higher  ideals 
of  conduct,  business  and  government.  They  combine,  as  no  other 
institutions  of  learning  have  done  with  equal  emphasis,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  moral  and  religious  as  well  as  the  intellectual  nature. 
They  ministered  largely  to  the  moral  indignation  against  slavery 


214  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

which  found  full  expression  in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  Edward 
Beecher,  president  of  Illinois  College,  and  Jonathan  Blanchard, 
president  of  Knox  College,  were  strong  anti-slavery  leaders  in  the 
discussions  that  followed  the  murder  of  Lovejoy. 

Not  until  the  last  fifty  years  did  the  early  plans  for  public 
education  become  effective.  Our  public  school  system  had  hardly 
begun  by  1855  and  progress  was  slow  until  after  the  Civil  War. 
It  is  in  her  later  years  that  Illinois  has  developed  her  great  State 
university  and  the  two  other  universities  on  private  foundations  at 
Chicago.*  In  libraries,  in  the  fine  arts,  and  in  music  Illinois  has 
facilities,  opportunities  and  students  which  give  her  a  relative  rank 
even  greater  than  her  wealth  and  commerce. 

Indeed,  the  connection  is  closer  than  is  sometimes  realized 
between  the  agencies  for  religious,  moral  and  mental  development 
and  the  physical  evidences  of  great  wealth  and  enterprise.  For  it 
is  not  alone  the  combination  of  the  trained  scientific  mind  and 
business  sagacity  that  have  produced  the  vast  wealth  of  our  State. 
Sterling  moral  character,  fine  public  spirit,  high  personal  and  com- 
mercial ideals  have  given  energy  and  stability  to  our  great  business 
enterprises.  And  the  men  who  have  won  the  largest  successes  have 
themselves  attested  the  truth  of  this  statement.  Philip  D.  Armour 
established  the  Institute  of  Technology  as  well  as  a  world-wide 
business  to  fitly  perpetuate  his  name.  The  memory  of  the  com- 
mercial genius  of  Marshall  Field  will  persist  in  the  centuries  to 
come,  not  so  much  in  the  marvelous  business  which  he  created  as 
in  the  monument  f  which  is  near  its  completion  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan,  and  the  influence  of  that  monument  will  increase 
and  expand  with  the  years.  George  M.  Pullman,  whose  engineer- 
ing skill  lifted  Chicago  out  of  the  swamp  before  he  established  the 
business  that  bears  his  name,  took  pains  to  assure  a  continued  in- 
fluence of  elevation  in  the  great  training  school  which  he  founded. 
Similar  instances  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  our  State.  Among 

*  Jonathan  B.  Turner's  contribution  is  worthy  of  remembrance.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  the  early  thirties.  He  was  the  leader  in  the  movement  creat- 
ing State  Universities  by  National  aid  and  to  furnish  agricultural  and  tech- 
nical instruction.  He  also  introduced  the  osage  orange  hedges  to  save  the 
expense  of  rail  fences  and  of  ditches  and  embankments  then  in  general  use. 
In  this  war  American  Universities  and  Colleges  have  made  the  priceless  con- 
tributions of  patriotic  enthusiasm  and  eager  young  men  specially  competent 
for  leadership  in  every  branch  of  war  service.  And  the  roots  of  the  osage 
orange — now  supplanted  by  wire  fencing — have  yielded  a  dye  for  their  uni- 
forms. 

t  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  215 

us  of  Illinois  no  man  is  regarded  as  truly  successful  unless  he  adds 
high  personal  character  and  a  generous  civic  spirit  to  his  business 
abilities. 

It  was  the.  moral  and  idealistic  training  of  American  schools 
and  colleges  that  made  the  martyrdom  of  Belgium  and  Germany's 
cruel  crimes  against  humanity  on  land  and  sea  and  from  the  air 
potent  and  irresistible  arguments  for  our  joining  the  Allies.  It 
was  largely  our  college  men  who  went,  and  inspired  others  to  go, 
overseas  to  aid  French  and  English  arms  long  before  our  declara- 
tion of  war.  We  should  never  forget  the  moral  heroism  and 
vicarious  sacrifice  of  this  proud  American  vanguard  of  30,000  men, 
fighting  under  foreign  flags  for  the  life  and  soul  of  neutral 
America. 

The  queenly  stature  of  Illinois  in  the  sisterhood  of  states  has 
been  made  due  to  her  steadfast  devotion  to  liberty,  justice,  educa- 
tion, and  all  the  agencies  of  moral,  aesthetic  and  spiritual  enlight- 
enment, and  to  a  patriotism  that  embraces  all  these. 

What  a  powerful  inspiration  in  the  trying  days  of  this  World 
War  have  been  the  memories  of  the  Illinois  leaders  in  the  War  for 
the  Union !  Every  Illinoisan  who  knows  what  Lincoln  and  Grant 
and  Logan  and  Palmer  and  Oglesby  strove  for  is  bound  to  know 
and  feel  that  their  work  is  vain  unless  the  Prussian  arms  and  creed 
are  beaten  to  the  dust.  But  we  all  knew  that  as  they  sought  a  half 
century  ago  to  save  this  Nation,  not  for  its  power  or  its  glory,  but 
because  in  its  survival  were  bound  up  the  deepest  interests  of  man- 
kind, so  America  is  fighting  with  the  Allies  in  this  war.  And  their; 
spirit  and  capacity  and  devotion  have  reappeared  during  the  past; 
twelve  months  in  the  varied  labors  and  solid  service  of  Governor 
Lowden.  His  record  and  his  character  are  one  of  the  strong 
promises  for  our  second  century.  By  his  words  and  his  acts  he  has 
made  clear  the  purpose  for  which  America  fights ;  and  that  all  that 
Illinois  has,  all  that  Illinois  is,  are  but  dust  in  the  balance  as  com- 
pared with  the  cause  for  which  American  soldiers  are  fighting  and' 
dying  on  the  Western  front. 

Therefore,  Illinois  is  pledged  and  prepared  by  her  history 
and  ideals  to  fight  to  the  end,  even  if  the  war  should  take  from 
us  all  that  our  hundred  years  have  gathered. 


216  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

THE   PROBLEMS    OF   THE   FUTURE 

What  are  the  problems  that  confront  Illinois  as  it  enters  upon 
its  second  century,  and  what  are  the  lessons  its  past  teaches  ? 

The  problems  are  the  old  ones  of  making  'and  keeping  a 
democracy  honest  and  humane  in  purpose,  genuine,  intelligent  and 
steadfast  in  character.  The  perpetual  problem,  as  Lincoln  stated 
it,  is  to  have  a  government  strong  enough  to  protect  the  liberties 
of  the  people  in  a  crisis,  but  not  too  strong  for  those  liberties  in 
times  of  peace;  the  problem  of  keeping  justice  and  liberty  equal 
and  fraternal,  and  of  ever  guarding  and  preserving  not  only  the 
essential  principles,  but  the  essential  institutions  of  our  free  Re- 
public. 

This  war  has  taught  us,  as  no  other  war  in  •  our  history  has 
done,  that  a  republic  must  not  only  be  willing  to  fight  for  its 
liberties,  but  it  must  be  prepared  to  fight;  that  loyalty  imposes  a 
-constant  obligation  which  will  be  most  cheerfully  recognized  and 
met  if  it  is  definite  and  applies  to  every  youth  alike. 

The  utter  collapse  and  disintegration  of  Russia  have  taught 
us — as  we  needed  to  be  taught — that  there  can  be  no  justice  assured 
to  anyone  except  under  ordered  liberty,  under  a  government  of 
justice  and  law;  that  a  socialistic  government,  whether  resulting 
in  anarchy  or  oligarchy,  is  not  the  government  which  Washington 
founded  and  Lincoln  saved.  Their  government  was  of  the  whole 
people,  and  not  of  any  class,  and  was  founded  in  rules  of  right 
and  in  permanent  institutions  of  liberty  and  justice. 

Free  government  no  more  means  a  government  of  the  pro- 
letariat than  of  the  grand  dukes;  no  more  of  the  poor  than  of 
the  rich;  no  more  of  the  ignorant  than  of  the  learned.  It  means 
a  government  in  which  all  participate,  and  under  which  the  rights 
of  all  are  equally  protected;  and  protected  not  by  the  will  of  the 
rulers,  whether  a  vast  committee  or  an  irresponsible  czar,  but  pro- 
tected by  fundamental  principles  of  justice  and  by  established  in- 
stitutions of  freedom. 

Illinois  has  been  ever  true  in  conviction,  if  not  always  in  prac- 
tice, to  the  rule  that  "obedience  to  law  is  liberty."  The  disorders 
of  the  Chicago  strike  of  1894,  and  the  more  recent  race  riots  at 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  217 

Springfield  and  East  St.  Louis,  are  painful  reminders  that  dangers 
constantly  lurk  in  a  democracy  and  that  neither  justice  nor  liberty 
can  live  under  mob  law.  Reverence  for  law  must  ever  go  with 
devotion  to  liberty,  else  liberty  is  lost.  "Law  is  the  uttered  con- 
science of  the  state  restraining  the  individual  will." 

This  war  should  teach  us  another  lesson  of  the  highest  value. 
In  England  and  in  America  the  great  crisis  has  submerged  and 
obliterated  for  the  time  the  divisions  between  so-called  labor  and 
capital.  Both  have  forgotten  their  differences — have  been  ashamed 
of  their  differences — in  the  presence  of  a  danger  that  threatened 
to  engulf  them  both.  If  the  war  has  taught  cooperation  and 
mutual  confidence  and  the  duty  to  suppress  differences  for  the  good 
of  all,  shall  we  not  finally  learn  that  lesson  and  apply  it  to  all  our 
relations  hereafter?  For  internal  class  divisions  and  strife  will 
wreck  democracy  as  surely  as  would,  the  success  of  the  German 
arms. 

It  is  increasingly  patent  that  much  remains  to  be  done  in 
order  to  make  every  Illinois  boy  and  girl  fit  in  spirit,  in  hand 
and  in  brain  for  the  duties  and  the  devotion  of  citizenship.  This 
is  a  problem,  not  so  much  of  making  every  citizen  of  greater  eco- 
nomic worth  to  the  State,  but  of  making  every  youth,  whether 
alien  or  native  born,  a  loyal,  an  honest  and  an  intelligent  citizen. 
A  formal  naturalization  of  the  immigrants  is  not  enough — it 
means  very  little;  it  should  mean  very  much.  It  should  mean 
such  knowledge  of  our  language — and  there  is  but  one  American 
language — and  of  our  history  and  institutions,  as  will  lead  them 
unconsciously  to  love  America  with  the  singleness  to  which  they 
pledge  themselves  in  their  oath  of  allegiance.  Americanism  ad- 
mits of  no  divided  loyalty — least  of  all  between  America  and  an- 
other nation  whose  governmental  aims  and  principles  are  antagon- 
istic to  ours. 

The  pitiful  exhibition  of  "international  democracy"  in  Eussia 
the  past  year  should  be  warning  enough  to  us  against  every  propa- 
ganda that  weaken,  in  anyway  or  for  any  human  purpose,  complete 
patriotic  devotion  to  America.  All  such  movements  in  the  name 
of  humanity  destroy  all  the  safeguards  of  essential  human  rights. 


218 

"God  gave  all  men  all  earth  to  love, 
But  since  man's  heart  is  small, 
Ordained  for  each  one  spot  to  be 

Beloved  over  all/' 
******* 

When  the  heat  of  summer  lies  heavy  upon  our  land  there 
comes  a  flower  that  bursts  in  white  and  gold  on  the  sluggish 
stream,  and  decks  with  sweet  stars  of  day  the  surface  of  many 
a  murky  pool.  The  Illinois  of  our  pride  today  is  not  found  in  its 
population  or  wealth  or  its  material  resources.  It  is  in  the  soul 
of  our  commonwealth.  Like  a  pond  lily,  it  has  grown  out  of  the 
depths  of  this  fecund  valley,  and,  striving  upward  through  all  the 
turbulent  and  turgid  floods  of  a  new  industrial  and  civil  life,  has 
been  nourished  even  by  the  impurities  in  which  it  was  rooted. 

Only  as  our  buildings  and  enterprises,  our  genius  for  pro- 
duction and  commerce  strengthen  and  uplift  the  collective  soul 
of  our  people,  are  they  truly  admirable.  Every  beauty  of  line  in 
the  material  edifice  of  our  greatness,  every  political  or  commercial 
achievement  that  stirs  the  spirit,  is  proof  of  the  essential  soundness 
of  a  civilization  that  has  been  and  still  may  be  somewhat  crude, 
yet  has  been  always  genuine,  always  aspiring. 

Even  our  largest  material  accomplishments  disclose  ideals 
that  have  not  yet  been  realized,  and  that  have  soared  with  each 
attainment;  that  have  gone  like  the  purpose  before  a  deed,  leading 
to  action,  but  mingling  with  fulfillment  a  high  discontent  that 
impels  to  yet  higher  doing.  They  are  but  the  symbols  of  our 
power,  the  promise  of  our  future. 

It  is  a  brave  banner  that  we  unfurl,  bearing  the  record  of  our 
hundred  years.  There  you  may  read  the  story  of  Pere  Marquette, 
carrying  the  cross  to  the  wild  tribes  of  our  prairies ;  of  the  French 
coureurs  du  bois,  romantic,  brave,  enduring;  of  the  frontiersmen, 
who,  like  the  explorers  and  fur  traders,  loved  the  wilderness,  its 
hardships  and  adventures,  with  its  free  life  and  isolation,  for  their 
own  sake,  and  then  as  towns  and  cities  grew,  they  vanished  beyond 
the  Mississippi. 

You  can  see  there  the  pioneers — the  lonely  log  cabin,  the 
little  hamlet  in  the  midst  of  the  undulating  sea  of  prairie  flowers, 


219 

guarded  by  the  church  spire  and  the  school  house,  rather  than 
by  the  walls  and  gates  of  old.  Into  the  peace  and  silence  come 
a  few  harsh  notes  of  strife  between  savage  and  settler;  splashes  of 
blood  stain  the  lake's  yellow  sands.  Then  you  can  see  later  the 
yeomen  of  the  countryside  marching  with  their  flintlocks  against 
the  Indians  in  the  one  war  that  has  touched  the  soil  of  Illinois. 
You  can  see  the  beginnings  of  communities,  of  an  organic 
life  binding  communities  together;  the  self-contained,  yet  uncon- 
scious heroes  of  that  simple  time,  moving  with  a  certain  giant 
strength  and  childlike  directness  to  control  the  forces  which  were 
then  raw  and  plastic,  and  to  build  out  of  them  a  puissant  and 
stable  state.  The  pioneers  stood  as  the  trees  of  a  forest,  together 
but  individual. 

"They  rise  to  mastery  of  wind  and  snow; 

They  go  like  soldiers  grimly  into  strife 
To  colonize  the  plain.     They  plow  and  sow, 

And  fertilize  the  sod  with  their  own  life, 
As  did  the  Indian  and  the  buffalo." 

Behold  there  the  simple  folk  that  defended  themselves  against 
the  red  race,  now  imperiling  their  liberty  and  their  lives  to  give 
freedom  to  the  fleeing  slave.  These  men  of  the  "underground 
railroad"  were  the  first  projectors  of  North  and  South  railroad 
lines,  and  they  surpassed  all  others  in  having  successful  operation 
accompany  the  preliminary  survey! 

How  that  record  blazes  with  the  part  of  Illinois  in  the  great 
war  for  Freedom  and  the  Union !  Behold  the  long  lines  of  blue, 
gathering  from  farm  and  shop  and  store  and  school,  and  moving 
away  to  martial  music,  mingled  with  huzzas  and  sobs — to  meet 
death  or  victory,  as  might  be,  but  to  meet  either  with  a  smile. 
The  story  brightens  and  darkens  as  gloom  follows  gleam  until  at 
last,  out  of  hoping  and  despairing  comes  victory,  and  the  sad, 
yet  rejoicing  return. 

Then  a  shadow  falls  across  the  picture — a  shadow  so  deep 
that  it  darkens  .every  heart  and  every  home  in  Illinois.  Lincoln, 
the  great  Captain,  Lincoln  the  Emancipator  of  the  Slaves,  Lincoln 
the  Saviour  of  the  Nation,  Lincoln  the  Martyr,  lies  dead. 


220  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

"When  lilacs  last  in  the  dooryard  bloomed, 
And  the  great  star  early  drooped  in  the  western  sky 

in  the  night, 
I  mourned  and  yet  shall  mourn  with  ever-returning 

spring." 

Then  we  see  the  interrupted  forces  rearrange  themselves;  old 
enterprises  and  new  endeavors  take  on  a  new  vitality;  we  see  a 
city  leap  into  life  as  by  magic,  and  then  more  suddenly  vanish  in 
flames.  Its  woe  becomes  its  fortune ;  its  destruction  is  its  upbuild- 
ing. Enterprise,  commercial  and  industrial,  dominates  every 
element  of  city  and  country  life.  Material  foundations  are  laid 
so  broad  and  so  deep  that  all  else  seems  forgotten.  Streets  are 
lifted  out  of  the  swamp;  notable  buildings  are  raised  out  of  the 
ashes;  numerical  and  financial  strength  increases.  Out  of  them 
arise  the  beginnings  of  an  intellectual  and  aesthetic  life. 

"Whate'er  delight 
Can  make  .Day's  forehead  bright 
Or  give  down  to  the  wings  of  Night." 

Wealth,  philanthrophy  and  art,  schools  and  universities  blossom 
in  the  Dream-city  of  the  Exposition,  a  city  built  of  wave  and  cloud 
and  sunshine;  that  opened,  when  the  daylight  faded,  like  a  great 
night-blooming  cereus  by  the  margin  of  the  lake.  It  glowed  with 
the  colors  of  evening  and  of  dawn,  and  passed  as  they  pass,  leaving 

only  imperishable  memories. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

And  then  the  portraits  that  hang  in  the  hall  of  our  hundred 
years !  Plutarch's  men,  who  lived  the 

"Life  that  doth  send 
A  challenge  to  its  end; 
And  when  it  comes,  says 
Welcome,  friend!" 

Douglas,  the  "Little  Giant,"  like  a  short,  swart  tower  holding 
guns  terrific  for  destruction  and  defense;  Baker  of  the  silver 
voice,  who  joined  to  the  strength  of  the  West  and  the  calmness  of 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  221 

the  North,  the  warmth  and  fervor  of  the  South — whose  brilliant 
speech  was  forgotten  in  the  keener  flash  of  his  sword,  which,  alas ! 
fell  with  him  at  Ball's  Bluff  in  the  very  budding  of  his  powers; 
and  Palmer,  who  followed  Douglas  in  putting  aside  his  party  and 
its  principles  for  the  higher  cause  of  the  Nation;  and  in  his  old 
age  again  standing  true  to  his  convictions  and  assuming  leadership 
to  guard  the  Nation  from  financial  disaster;  and  Oglesby,  the 
homeless  Kentucky  lad,  thrice  chosen  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  be- 
loved leader  in  war  and  in  peace;  Trumbull,  slender  of  stature, 
but  great  in  intellectual  power — the  foremost  constitutional  lawyer 
and  debater  of  that  time;  and  Logan  of  the  sable  wing,  who  left 
the  companions  of  his  youth  to  lead,  as  few  leaders  could,  the 
impetuous  legions  of  the  North — who  with  a  soldier's  reckless 
daring  joined  a  gentle  heart,  and  in  the  thankfulness  that  followed 
war  helped  to  heal  its  wounds  by  assisting  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

And  Grant,  of  the  stern,  unflinching,  untelling  face,  of  a 
figure  and  a  stature  that  gave  no  hint  of  martial  glory  or  of  martial 
prowess,  but  which  held  a  spirit  that  was  dogged,  indomitable, 
persistent  and  resistless  in  war;  that  was  gentle,  self-sacrificing, 
and  more  sublimely  brave  in  peace ;  that  made  Appomattox  a  shrine 
of  magnanimity  and  Mount  McGregor  an  altar  of  moral  heroism. 

But  above  all  in  our  Pantheon  is  Lincoln,  the  people's  hero, 
whose  greatness  is  the  common  possession  of  mankind :  A  face  so 
plain  it  fascinates,  so  sad  it  touches  the  heart;  so  illumined  that 
it  draws  us  from  all  sordidness ;  eyes  that  beacon  to  the  safe  harbor 
of  a  true  soul ;  a  form  builded  like  the  ships  of  the  Vikings,  strong 
to  the  uttermost,  and  graceful  almost  in  the  perfectness  of  its 
strength ;  a  mind  that  brought  every  question  to  the  test  of  truth, 
and  would  not  deceive  others  because  it  would  not  deceive  itself ; , 
a  mind  ever  ruled  by  a  heart  which,  as  Emerson  said,  was  as 
capacious  as  the  storehouse  of  the  rains,  but  had  no  room  in  it  for 
the  memory  of  a  wrong;  a  mind  and  a  heart  distraught,  oppressed, 
borne  down  under  burdens  greater  than  ever  man  bore,  and  shaken 
by  a  temperament  touched  with  moodiness  and  mysticism — they 
kept  their  soundness  in  a  philosophy  that  took  the  sense  of  the 
comic  as  a  preservative  of  wisdom,  and  the  sense  of  duty  as  the 


222  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

preservative  of  honor  and  endeavor;  a  spirit  so  fine  that  it  felt, 
past  all  argument,  the  imminence  of  Divinity;  a  life  harmonized 
and  made  glorious  in  the  conclusion  of  Darwin ;  though  a  man  may 
not  fully  know  the  issue  of  his  life  or  the  nature  of  God,  he  can 
do  his  duty.  And  how  Lincoln  did  his  duty,  mankind  will  ever 
love  to  tell. 

But  there  is  another  picture,  a  small  part  of  a  great  canvas, 
not  yet  finished,  radiant  with  a  light  that  brightens  every  portrait, 
every  painting  in  that  hall.  It  portrays  Illinois  summoning  her 
youth  by  hundreds  of  thousands  to  prepare  to  prove  at  arms  her 
loyalty  to  liberty  and  her  gratitude  to  France,  and  to  defend  that 
government  of  the  people  which  it  is  Illinois'  chief  glory  to  have 
helped  to  save. 

There  is  here  none  of  the  pageantry  or  trappings  of  an  army 
with  banners.  Like  the  rude  cabins  of  the  pioneers,  multiplied 
into  myriads,  are  the  schools  of  military  instruction  going  forward 
with  the  simple  directness  and  the  invincible  purpose  of  a  high 
resolve.  Here  above  the  broad  prairie  the  young  eagles  are  trying 
their  wings  and  their  talons,  that  they  may  strike  to  the  earth  the 
German  vultures  that  are  tearing  at  the  vitals  of  defenseless  mil- 
lions. 

Then  we  see  them  again — long  lines  of  khaki  brown  and 
glistening  steel  that  go  forward  and  ever  forward — some  wounded, 
some  dying,  all  cheerful,  all  smiling,  all  determined.  And  above 
the  lines  and  before  them — yea,  and  above  the  lines  of  France  and 
of  England — shining  in  the  upper  air,  watching,  rising,  wheeling, 
striking — and  sometimes  falling ! — are  the  young  eagles  of  Illinois  ! 

And  the  light  of  that  picture  glows  upon  all  her  sons  who 
served  with  perfect  devotion,  whether  here  or  there;  whether  they 
have  returned,  or  whether  France  shall  keep  them  lovingly  and 
make  their  resting  places  shrines  of  liberty.  And  the  radiance  of 
that  picture  is  from  the  sun  of  universal  justice,  liberty  and  kindli- 
ness that  is  just  rising  upon  a  darkened  world. 

All  this — and  how  much  more? — glows  resplendent  on  our 
banner,  though  it  shows  but  the  simple  legend,  Illinois,  the  Land 
of  Men. 


ESTABLISHING  THE  AMERICAN   COLONIAL  SYSTEM 
IN  THE  OLD  NORTHWEST 

BY  ELBEET  JAY  BENTON 

The  occasion  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  is  an  auspicious  time 
to  pay  tribute  to  the  great  achievement  in  American  history  during 
the  infancy  of  the  communities  which  form  the  group  of  states  of 
the  Old  Northwest.  That  achievement  is  the  establishment  of  the 
American  Colonial  System.  It  is  not  intended  to  raise  the  ques- 
tion of  the  congressional  history  of  the  Ordinances  which  formu- 
lated it.  That  phase  of  the  story  may  rest  as  it  has  been  recorded.1 
The  problem  now  essayed  is  to  trace  the  actual  process  of  establish- 
ing the  peculiar  American  mode  of  dealing  with  frontier  communi- 
ties. It  was  one  thing  for  Congress  to  lay  down  in  a  series  of 
Ordinances  the  outline  of  a  plan  of  government  for  the  western 
domain,  it  was  another  for  officials  to  carry  it  out  in  practice — 
to  overcome  the  barriers  to  its  application  in  a  geographically  re- 
mote wilderness.  It  is,  indeed,  the  appearance  of  these  barriers 
and  their  overcoming  by  territorial  authorities  which  constitutes 
the  main  problem  of  this  study. 

The  United  States  acquired  so  far  as  international  relations 
were  concerned  a  title  to  the  Northwest  Territory  in  the  treaty 
which  closed  the  Revolution.  The  national  government  still  had 
two  rival  contestants  in  the  field :  some  of  the  older  states  thought 
their  territories  swept  across  the  Mississippi  Valley  in  wide  belts; 
and  there  were  the  Indian  occupants.  The  former  was  easily  dis- 
posed of,  thanks  to  eight  years  of  cooperation  in  a  common  cause 
and  the  conciliatory  spirit  abroad  immediately  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  deed  of  cession  of  Virginia,  March  1,  1784,  finally  gave 
the  United  States  title  to  a  large  strip  north  of  the  Ohio  River. 

1  McLaughlin,  Confederation  and  the  Constitution,  chs.  7,  8  ;  Channing, 
IV,  ch.  17  ;  Barrett,  Evolution  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  Archer  B.  Hulbert, 
The  Records  of  the  Ohio  Company,  has  given  a  fresh  account  of  the  relation 
of  the  Ohio  Company  to  the  genesis  of  the  territorial  policy. 


ii  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

New  York  had  yielded  a  more  shadowy  claim  to  the  same  region 
three  years  earlier.  Deeds  of  cession  by  Massachusetts,  April  19, 
1785,  and  by  Connecticut,  May  28,  1786,  extended  the  national 
jurisdiction  until  it  covered  the  whole  of  the  Northwest,  except 
Connecticut's  western  reserve  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 
These  cessions  were  the  first  price  which  states  with  western  claims 
paid  for  Union. 

The  other  western  problem  at  the  outset  was  to  acquire  from 
the  Indian  occupants  treaties  ceding  their  claims  to  such  portions 
at1-  were  wanted  for  immediate  colonization.  The  United  States 
dealt  with  the  Indian  as  semi-dependent  nations.  The  Congress 
of  the  period  went  about  the  task  quite  logically.  It  began  by 
creating  a  commission  to  negotiate  with  the  Indians,  and  an  army 
to  give  protection  to  all  concerned.  At  the  conclusion  of  peace 
it  ordered  the  Revolutionary  army  disbanded,  except  a  small  guard 
of  80  men  for  Fort  Pitt  and  West  Point.  On  June  3,  1784,  it 
instructed  the  Secretary  of  War  to  call  700  men  from  the  militia 
of  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  for 
short  terms  of  service  in  the  protection  of  the  Northwest  frontier. 
The  dismissal  of  the  last  regiment  of  the  Eevolutionary  army  had 
occurred  only  the  day  before,  so  that  the  act  of  Congress  was  an 
illustration  of  the  new  republic's  fear  of  anything  approaching  a 
regular  trained  army  and  its  faith  in  the  adequacy  of  short  term 
bodies  drawn  from  the  state  militia  system.2  Nothing  is  more 
characteristically  American  than  this  action.  Colonel  Josiah  Har- 
niar  was  given  command  of  the  western  army.3  In  the  fall  liar- 
mar's  force  of  state  militia,  about  four  hundred  in  number,  made 
its  way  across  the  Alleghanies  into  the  Indian  country  north  of 
the  Ohio  Eiver.  The  militia  of  Connecticut  and  New  York  had 
not  responded  to  the  call.  Some  efforts  were  being  made  to  recruit 
their  quotas,  but  the  frontier  had  to  wait  long  for  their  coming.4 

2  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  433,   438. 

s  Josiah  Harmar,  born  in  Philadelphia,  1753,  educated  at  a  Quaker 
School,  entered  Pennsylvania  militia  as  a  captain  in  1777,  colonel  in  1777, 
commandant  of  western  army  of  United  States  in  1784,  brevet  Brig-adier- 
General  in  1787,  commander-in-chief  of  United  States  Army  in  1789,  retired 
from  army  in  1792,  died  in  Philadelphia,  1813. 

4  Harmar  to  Thomas  Mifflin,  President  of  Congress,  Dec.  5,  1784,  Trans- 
cripts obtained  from  the  State  Department  by  A.  T.  Goodman  in  1871  and 
deposited  -with  the  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society.  Cited  hereafter  as 
Goodman  Transcripts.  See  also  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  874-5 ;  Major 
Ebenezer  Denny,  Military  Journal,  p.  257). 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  in 

During  the  year  in  which  a  military  force  was  taking  shape 
for  the  Northwest,  another  territorial  agency  of  the  Confederation 
was  organized.  The  first  step  was  taken  three  days  after  the 
United  States  acquired  title  to  the  strip  along  the  north  side  of  the 
Ohio  Valley.  Congress  appointed  five  commissioners  who  were 
instructed  to  negotiate  with  the  northern  and  western  Indians  for 
their  claims  on  the  western  country.  A  resolution  urged  the  com- 
missioners to  make  haste  with  their  task.  They  were  given  power 
to  contract  with  merchants  for  supplies  of  provisions  and  other 
gifts  for  the  Indians  as  well  as  the  necessities  of  the  commission.5 
Three  of  them  were  present  at  a  conference  with  the  New  York 
Indians  at  Fort  Stanwix,  and  on  October  22,  1784,  concluded  a 
treaty  which  bears  the  name  of  the  place  of  conference.6  The 
Governors  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  had  representatives  at 
the  conference  and  treated  separately  with  the  Indians.  Such  con- 
flicts of  jurisdiction  were  not  the  least  of  the  embarassing  problems 
before  the  national  commissioners.7  In  the  end  the  com  mission  erg 
secured  from  the  Six  Nations  the  abandonment  of  their  preten- 
sions to  the  region  south  and  southwest  of  Lake  Erie.  The  com- 
mission then  ordered  goods  "delivered  to  the  Six  Nations  for  their 
use  and  comfort."8 

Oliver  Wolcott,9  Eichard  Butler,  10  and  Arthur  Lee11  served 
as  Commissioners  at  the  Fort  Stanwix  conference.  Wolcott  was 
replaced  by  George  Eogers  Clark12  on  the  Commission  which  met 

B  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  345,  352,   446,  484. 

•Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  363;  378,  382,  531;  American  State  Papers, 
Indian  Affairs,  Vol.  I,  p.  10. 

7  The  Olden  Times,  II,  412-430 ;  J.  A.  James,  Some  Phases  of  the  History 
of  the  Northwest,  Reports  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  Historical  Society,  171. 

8  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  531-2. 

9  Oliver  Wolcott,  born  in  Connecticut,  1726,  graduated  from  Yale  College, 
1747,    became    colonel   of    Connecticut   Militia,    1775,    brigadier-general    1776, 
member  Continental  Congress  1776-8  and  1780-84,  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of    Independence,    major-general,    1779,    lieutenant-governor    of    Connecticut, 
1786-96,  governor  1796,  died  while  governor  1797. 

"Richard  Butler,  born  in  Ireland  1743,  brought  to  America  by  parents 
when  five  years  old,  settled  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  appointed  major  of 
Pennsylvania  militia  in  1776.  lieutenant  colonel  1777,  and  colonel  of  a  Penn- 
sylvania regiment;  appointed  major  general  in  St.  Clair's  army,  1791,  killed 
in  battle,  1791. 

"Arthur  Lee,  born  In  Virginia  in  1740.  educated  at  Eton  College  and 
University  of  Edinburgh,  studied  law  at  the  Temple  in  London,  and  practiced 
law  in  London,  1770-6,  sent  by  Congress  on  several  diplomatic  missions  in 
Europe  during  the  Revolution,  member  of  Congress,  1782-4,  member  of  the 
Board  of  the  Treasury,  1784-9,  died  in  Virginia,  1792. 

"George  Rogers  Clark,  born  in  Virginia,  1752,  land  surveyor  by  profes- 
sion, became  major  in  Virginia  militia  1776,  lieutenant  colonel,  1777-79,  com- 
manding Virginia  forces  operating  against  the  British  in  the  Northwest^ 
brigadier  general  in  Continental  Army,  1781,  died  in  1818. 


iv  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

the  western  Indians.  Butler  kept  a  journal  of  the  conference 
which  it  held  with  the  Wyandot,  Delaware,  Chippewa  and  Ottawa 
Indians  at  Fort  Mclntosh  during  December  and  January  in  1784 
and  1785.13  He  describes  a  motley  throng  of  Indians,  men,  wo- 
men, and  children,  that  assembled  during  the  last  days  of  Novem- 
ber. The  Commissioners  doled  out  from  their  stores  food,  kettles, 
blankets,  rum,  and  powder,  and  then  struggled  to  keep  in  control 
the  obstreperous  element  set  off  by  firewater  and  emboldened  by 
new  supplies  for  their  firearms.14  By  a  combination  of  bribery, 
threats,  and  coaxing  the  Indians  were  brought  to  sign  the  so-called 
treaty  of  Fort  Mclntosh.  A  line  was  drawn  through  the  central 
part  of  Ohio,  east  of  which  the  Indians  ceded  their  claims.15  The 
treaty  of  Fort  Mclntosh  followed  the  well  worn  colonial  policy  of 
inducing  the  Indians  to  move  farther  westward.  It  seemed  a 
great  achievement.  The  Indians  had  in  effect  ceded  some  30,- 
000,000  acres  to  the  United  States.16  One  or  two  facts  lessened 
its  importance.  Various  influences  caused  the  Indians  to  make 
scraps  of  paper  of  their  pledges.  To  begin  with,  the  Shawnee, 
the  most  powerful  of  the  western  Indians,  were  not  parties  to  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Mclntosh.  But  more  serious  was  the  fact  that  the 
treaties  were  concluded  with  only  one  element  of  the  Indian  tribes. 
At  the  very  time  the  pacific  element  was  coming  to  terms  with  the 
Commissioners  of  the  United  States,  warrior  bands  were  raiding 
white  settlements.  The  political  organization  of  the  western  In- 
dians was  extremely  chaotic.  No  authority  among  the  Indians 
could  control  the  situation.  And  even  the  peace  element  which 
assented  to  the  treaties  had  little  interest  in  peace  with  the  United 
States  for  its  own  sake,  and  an  absorbing  hunger  for  the  goods 
which  the  commissioners  were  doling  out.  Such  treaties  backed 
by  ineffective  military  forces  were  little  less  than  futile  absurdities, 
although  the  motives  behind  them  were  of  the  highest. 

No  one  recognized  the  incompleteness  of  the  work  more  clear- 
ly than  the  commissioners.17     Early  in  1785  they  summoned  the 

"Fort  Mclntosh  was  a  crude  wooden  fort  near  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Beaver. 

"The  Olden  Time,  II,  433. 

"Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  532;  American  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs, 
I,  p.  11. 

"Washington  Writings,  Ford  edition,  Vol.  X,  447. 

"Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  486-7. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  T 

Shawnee  to  a  conference.  Clark  and  Butler  were  still  on  the  com- 
mission, but  the  third  commissioner  was  Samuel  H.  Parsons,18  who 
was  to  take  a  place  among  the  makers  of  the  Northwest.19  The 
conference  occurred  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  Eiver  during 
January,  1786.  A  treaty  was  concluded  January  31,  1786.  The 
Shawnee  were  left  in  possession  of  a  vast  sweep  of  territory  north 
of  the  Ohio  Eiver,  comprehending  in  general  that  between  the 
Great  Miami  Eiver  and  the  Wabash.  The  territory  to  the  east- 
ward of  this  tract  was  ceded  by  the  Indians  to  the  United  States. 
The  title  of  the  National  Government  to  a  great  area  of  the  North- 
west seemed  complete,  and  the  procedure  for  further  acquisitions 
outlined.20  Yet  there  were  other  forces  which  defeated  these  paper 
agreements.  The  British  garrisons  continued  to  occupy  the  fron- 
tier posts  on  American  soil;  foreign  fur-traders  vied  with  American 
traders  for  the  favor  of  the  Indian;  and  squatters  of  American 
birth  equally  with  uncontrollable  Indian  bands  disregarded  the 
treaty  obligations.21 

Congress  left  the  meager  frontier  army  to  struggle  on  with 
the  forces  which  were  nullifying  the  treaties,  and  went  ahead  with 
its  legislative  program.  And  a  remarkable  one  this  was.  Im- 
portant ordinances  followed  one  another  in  annual  sequence.  One 
in  1784  outlined  a  plan  under  which  the  settlers  were  to  institute 
government  and  take  a  place  in  the  political  union.  One  of  1785 
adopted  a  plan  of  land  survey,  land  endowments  for  education, 
and  a  policy  of  land  disposal  as  a  national  asset.  An  ordinance  of 
1786,  introducing  a  new  mode  of  handling  the  relations  with  the 
Indians,  completed  the  series.22  A  few  weeks  earlier  the  northern 

18  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  born  in  Connecticut,  1737,  graduate  Harvard  Col- 
lege, 1756,  began  practice  of  law,  1759,  member  of  Connecticut  Legislature, 
1762-1774,  major  in  Connecticut  Militia,  colonel,  1775,  major  general,  1730, 
commanding  Connecticut  line  of  Continental  Army,  member  and  President 
of  Society  of  Cincinnati  in  Connecticut,  stockholder  and  director  of  the  Ohio 
Company. 

"Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  574. 

20  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  627;  American  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs, 
I,  11 ;  Butler's  Journal  in  Olden  Time,  II,  521,  Another  Commission  had 
carried  to  a  similar  point  of  success  the  negotiations  with  the  southern 
Indians.  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  627. 

"Harmar's  Letters,  June  1,  1785,  June  21,  1785,  May  7,  1786,  Goodman 
Transcripts;  Butler's  Journal,  Olden  Time,  II,  433;  A.  C.  McLaughlin,  West- 
ern Posts  and  British  Debts,  American  Historical  Association  Report,  1894, 
413  ;  J.  A.  James,  Some  Phases  of  the  History  of  the  Northwest,  Mississippi 
Valley  Historical  Association,  1914-15,  p.  168. 

"Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  677. 


vi  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  southern  Indian  Commissions  had  been  discontinued  in  order 
to  prepare  the  way  for  reorganization.23 

The  Ordinance  of  1786  for  the  Eegulation  of  Indian  Affairs 
created  a  national  Indian  department  of  two  districts.  The  Ohio 
Biver  became  the  general  line  of  division.  A  superintendent  in 
each  district  was  in  charge  of  Indian  affairs,  and  required  to  report 
to  Congress  through  the  Secretary  of  War.  Other  clauses  forbade 
foreigners  residing  among  the  Indians  or  trading  with  them,  and 
established  the  license  system  for  Americans  who  resided  among 
them  or  traded  with  them.  The  act  intended  to  provide  a  mode 
by  which  the  National  Government  could  take  an  effective  hold 
of  Indian  trade,  make  it  an  American  monopoly,  and  meet  and 
checkmate  the  British  economic  interests  in  the  Northwest.  A 
week  later  Congress  chose  Eichard  Butler  Superintendent  of  In- 
dian Affairs  for  the  northern  district.24 

The  Land  Ordinance  of  1785  had  continued  the  office  of  Geog- 
rapher of  the  United  States,  who  was  virtually  Surveyor  General, 
and  who  with  the  surveyors  appointed  by  the  several  states  was 
laying  out  the  land  according  to  the  national  system  of  surveys.25 
The  significant  thing  is  that  a  service  previously  local  was  national- 
ized. Thomas  Hutchins26  who  had  served  as  a  national  geographer 
since  1781  was  now  reappointed  for  a  term  of  three  years.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1785,  Hutchins  took  up  his  work  in  the  Northwest.  The 
election  of  Butler  as  Indian  Superintendent  brought  two  national 
agencies  of  administration  into  the  developing  institutions  of  the 
new  national  territorial  system. 

In  the  meantime  Harmar's  western  army  remained  a  com- 
paratively feeble  force.  In  1785  Congress  called  upon  Connecti- 
cut, New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  to  supply  eight 
companies  of  infantry  and  two  of  artillery.  In  reality  the  infantry 
seldom  exceeded  500.  Three  years  later,  1788,  the  two  companies 

23  Ibid,  IV,  664. 

24  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  683  ;  Butler's  jurisdiction  extended  from  the 
Hudson  to  the  Mississippi,  and  from  the  Ohio  to  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Great  Lakes. 

"Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  520. 

2«  Thomas  Hutchins,  born  in  New  Jersey,  1730,  entered  British  army, 
joined  American  Continental  army  in  1779,  appointed  geographer  for  the 
southern  army  by  General  Greene  in  1781,  appointed  sole  geographer  of  the 
United  States  in  1784,  continued  in  office  until  death  in  1789.  A  Surveyor 
General  was  finally  created  by  the  act  of  1796.  Rufus  Putnam  became  first 
Surveyor  General.  Journals  of  Congress,  III,  617,  644  ;  IV,  627,  636,  818. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  vn 

of  artillery  were  not  yet  in  western  service.  New  York  had  not 
made  any  provision  for  recruiting  its  quota.  The  backwardness  of 
the  states  in  fulfilling  their  national  duties  which  was  paralyzing 
the  Confederation  in  the  East  was  also  hampering  the  establish- 
ment of  order  and  government  in  the  Northwest.27  The  losses  of 
the  army  in  numbers  through  those  whose  terms  expired  and 
through  desertion  from  dissatisfaction  with  the  service  nearly  offset 
the  gains  from  recruiting.  Harmar  complained  that  he  had  con- 
stantly to  weaken  his  force  by  sending  officers  on  recruiting  mis- 
sions into  the  states,  and  to  maneuvre  with  the  old  soldiers  in  order 
to  re-enlist  them.  The  necessity  of  securing  the  approval  of  state 
executives  to  all  changes  in  officers  in  each  state's  quota  under- 
mined discipline.28  The  Journal  of  Joseph  Buell,  a  sergeant  in 
Earmarks  regiment,  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  kind  of  maneuvering 
which  won  re-enlistments.  The  entry  is  for  July  4,  1786.  It 
reads  as  follows:  "The  great  day  of  American  independence  was 
commemorated  by  the  discharge  of  thirteen  guns;  after  which  the 
troops  were  served  with  extra  rations  of  liquor,  and  allowed  to  get 
drunk  as  much  as  they  pleased."29 

There  is  no  evidence  that  time  was  creating  a  well  equipped, 
well  disciplined  national  force  capable  of  coping  with  frontier  con- 
ditions. The  testimony  of  the  witnesses  records  a  constant  struggle 
of  the  officers  with  the  soldiers  for  the  maintenance  of  discipline. 
In  1786  after  a  long  debate  Congress  yielded  to  the  urgent  repre- 
sentations of  the  commander  of  the  western  army,  the  Secretary 
of  War,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  the  frontier  settlements. 
The  size  of  the  western  army  was  set  at  2,000  men.  And  yet  Har- 
mar reported  in  1788  that  the  limit  of  his  expectations  for  the 
year  was  for  595  men.  Such  troops  as  Harmar  had  were  of  neces- 
sity kept  scattered  in  small  garrisons  along  the  Ohio  Valley.30 

2T  Report  of  a  Committee  of  Congress,  October  2,  1788,  Journals  of  Con- 
gress, IV,  874  ;  Harmar,  Letter  of  June  15,  1788,  in  Goodman  Transcripts. 

28Harmar's  Letter,  January  10,  1788,  Goodman  Transcripts. 

29Hildreth,  Pioneer  History,  144. 

30  The  principal  posts  were  Fort  Franklin,  near  the  mouth  of  French 
Creek ;  Fort  Mclntosh,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Beaver ;  Fort  Harmar,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  ;  Fort  Steuben,  at  the  rapids  of  the  Ohio  ;  and 
Post  Vincennes  on  the  Wabash  River ;  Fort  Harmar  was  the  usual  head- 
quarters of  the  commandant  until  Fort  Washington  was  established  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Licking  River  in  1789.  Harmar  to  Knox,  September  12, 
1789,  Goodman  Transcripts;  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  874. 


vin  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

When  Colonel  Harmar  arrived  in  the  Ohio  country  he  found 
squatters  rapidly  taking  possession.  Some  had  settled  there  dur- 
ing the  Eevolution.31  After  the  Eevolution  it  seemed  "as  if  the 
old  states  would  depopulate  and  the  inhabitants  would  be  trans- 
planted to  the  new."32  In  the  valley  of  nearly  every  tributary  of 
the  Ohio  from  the  north  was  one  or  more  pioneer  shacks  and  tiny 
clearings.  In  the  larger  valleys  considerable  settlements  existed. 
One  of  Harmar's  officers  reported  a  settlement  of  300  families  on 
the  Hockhocking  Eiver  and  an  equal  number  on  the  Muskingum. 
It  is  probable  that  the  estimate  was  an  exaggeration.  There  is  not 
evidence  enough  to  determine  the  exact  extent  of  settlement.  It  is 
certain  the  number  impressed  those  who  witnessed  the  migration. 
The  pioneers  were  chiefly  the  Scotch-Irish  backwoodsmen  from 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  North  Carolina  who  were  venturing 
farther  afield.  Their  civilization  was  the  prototype  of  that  which 
spreads  over  parts  of  the  great  Appalachian  Highland  still.33  They 
were  then  the  vanguard  of  the  American  people  advancing  in 
steady  strides  through  the  forest  wilderness  of  North  America. 
They  were  not  waiting  for  the  formalities  of  survey  and  title  to 
the  lands  which  they  claimed.  Tomahawk  rights  had  been  good 
enough  for  their  ancestors ;  such  rights  were  good  enough  for  them. 

Some  of  them  were  beginning  the  rudiments  of  state  building 
as  their  kind  had  been  doing  for  many  years  on  the  borders  of 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina.34  At  Mercer's  Town  the  people  had 
chosen  justices  of  the  peace  and  begun  to  carry  on  town  govern- 
ment.35 At  another  place  Harmar's  men  found  a  call  for  an  elec- 
tion to  choose  members  of  a  constitutional  convention.  From  the 
fact  that  voters  were  to  cast  their  ballots  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami 
Eiver,  the  Scioto  Eiver,  and  the  Muskingum  the  area  covered  by 
the  embryonic  state  can  be  fairly  well  denned.  The  promoters  set 

81  Ohio  Archeological  and  Historical  Society  Publications,  VI,  135;  Hul- 
bert,  Records  of  the  Ohio  Company,  I,  xxi-xxiii. 

32Olden  Times,  II,  499  ;  Wm.  H.  Smith,  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  3-5  (Cited 
hereafter  as  St.  Clair  Papers). 

83  Ohio  Archeological  and  Historical  Society  Publications,  VI,  135  ;  Olden 
Time,  II,  442-6  ;  The  Journal  of  John  Mathews,  a  nephew  of  Rufus  Putnam, 
in  Hildredth,   Pioneer  History  of  Ohio,   177-8.     The  latter  describes  a  corn 
husking1  among  this  class,  and  frontier  social  manners. 

84  F.  J.  Turner,  Western  State  Making,  American  Historical  Review,  I,  70. 
8B  Mercer's  Town  was  in  Belmont  County  nearly  opposite  Wheeling.     See 

Armstrong  to  Harmar,  April  12,  1785,  and  Harmar  to  R.  H.  Lee,  May  1,  1785, 
Goodman  Transcripts ;  Butler's  Journal  in  Olden  Time,  II,  443 ;  St.  Clair 
Papers,  II,  3. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  ix 

forth  in  the  call  the  frontier  interpretation  of  democracy.  Their 
political  creed  was  congressional  non-interference  and  squatter 
rights  in  frontier  settlement.36  Similar  movements  south  of  the, 
Ohio  finally  matured  in  statehood  without  Congressional  interfer- 
ence. For  example,  the  settlements  of  Kentucky  became  a  state 
without  a  period  of  national  control.  This  squatter  migration  into 
the  Ohio  country  ran  counter  to  a  new  national  mode  of  state 
building,  and  was  forced  to  give  way. 

Congress  began  its  territorial  policy  by  closing  the  western 
lands  to  occupation  until  they  were  surveyed  and  formally  placed 
on  sale.  Intruders  were  to  be  driven  off.  A  proclamation  to  this 
effect  was  published  by  the  commissioners  while  they  were  negotiat- 
ing with  the  Indians  at  Fort  Mclntosh,  January  24,  1785.  Col- 
onel Harmar  was  instructed  to  enforce  the  proclamation.37  The 
impelling  motives  of  Congress  in  this  first  step  are  plain:  the 
promises  of  bounty  lands  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Eevolution,  the 
needs  of  a  national  treasury  bankrupt  from  the  burden  of  interest 
on  the  war  debt,  and  the  treaty  obligations  to  the  Indians  were  an 
effective  combination  of  reasons  for  a  new  start  in  the  settlement 
of  the  national  domain.  Harmar  proceeded  during  1785  to  expel 
the  squatters  who  had  settled  along  the  north  shore  of  the  Ohio 
and  along  the  courses  of  its  tributaries.  In  a  few  places  the  in- 
habitants threatened  organized  resistance;  in  all  cases  they  gave 
way  in  the  end  before  superior  forces,  sometimes  sullenly,  but 
always  without  bloodshed.  Their  cabins,  such  bark  or  log  struc- 
tures as  there  were,  were  destroyed.  The  bolder  squatters  were 
later  found  to  have  returned,  and  the  process  was  repeated  until 
the  country  was  apparently  cleared  of  this  type  of  settlers.  The 
records  of  the  Ohio  Company  show  no  evidence  of  the  survival  of 
these  squatters,  who  if  they  had  been  present  would  have  plagued 
it  not  a  little.38 


88  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  5. 

8TSt.  Clair  Papers,  II,  3;  The  Olden  Time,  II,  340;  J.  A.  James,  Some 
Phases  of  the  History  of  the  Northwest,  Mississippi  Valley  Historical  Asso- 
ciation, Proceedings,  1913-14,  187. 

88  Harmar,  December  5,  1784,  April  25,  1785,  May  1,  1785,  June  1,  1785, 
and  Armstrong  to  Harmar,  April  12,  1785,  Goodman  Transcripts;  St.  Clair 
Papers,  II,  3  ;  Butler's  Journal  in  Olden  Time,  II,  437,  438,  440  ;  Journal  of 
John  Mathews  in  Hildredth,  Pioneer  History  of  Ohio,  183. 


x  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Harrnar  extended  his  activities  against  the  squatters  to  the 
western  French  villages  in  1787.  At  Vincennes  he  found  that  400 
squatters  had  taken  refuge  in  the  village  among  the  French.  The 
Americans  were  cultivating  their  fields  in  the  neighborhood  in 
armed  bands  in  a  state  of  perpetual  warfare  with  roving  hostile 
Indians.  He  warned  them  of  the  worthlessness  of  their  land  titles, 
but  later  events  showed  that  he  failed  to  terminate  these  particular 
lawless  encroachments  on  Indian  lands.39  While  Harmar  was  on 
the  Wabash  he  heard  that  the  Kentuckians  were  pushing  onto  the 
public  lands  about  Kaskaskia  as  through  an  open  door.  From  Vin- 
cennes Harmar  extended  his  western  journey  to  the  "great  Ameri- 
can Bottom."  He  found  that  many  of  George  Bogers  Clark's  fol- 
lowers had  made  "tomahawk  claims'*  in  the  region.  At  Bellefon- 
taine,  a  small  village  near  Kaskaskia,  there  was  a  stockaded  Ameri- 
can settlement.  A  little  farther  on  was  another  village  called 
Grand  Euisseau  inhabited  by  the  same  sort  of  people.  His  descrip- 
tions of  the  Illinois  villages  and  the  conditions  of  living  are  inter- 
esting, but  aside  from  the  subject  at  this  time.  At  Cahokia  he 
assembled  the  French  inhabitants  and  advised  them  to  place  their 
militia  on  a  better  footing,  to  abide  by  the  decision  of  their  courts, 
and  restrain  the  disorderly  element  until  Congress  could  provide 
a  government  for  them.  It  shocked  him  to  find  that  "all  these 
people  are  entirely  unacquainted  with  what  Americans  call  liberty. 
Trial  by  jury,  etc.,  they  are  strangers  to."  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  other  squatters  were  found  scattered  on  the  rich  bottoms  at 
some  distance  from  the  French  villages.  Everywhere  Harmar 
warned  the  Americans  from  the  lands  they  were  occupying.  For 
reasons  not  clear  in  the  correspondence  he  took  no  steps  to  enforce 
the  order.  The  Indians  in  these  parts,  he  says,  were  not  numer- 
ous, but  "amazing  fond  of  whiskey"  and  "ready  to  destroy  a  con- 
siderable quantity."  Before  returning  to  the  posts  on  the  Ohio 
he  visited  the  Spanish  settlements  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  described  at  some  length  his  experience  in  the  foreign 
land.40 


39  Harmar,  August  7,   1787,  Goodman  Transcripts;    St.   Clair  Papers,  II, 
24,  26  ;  Journal  of  Joseph  Buell,   Hildredth,  Pioneer  History,   154  ;   Roosevelt, 
Winning  of  the  West,  III,   79,  235. 

40  Harmar  to  Knox,  December  9,  1787,  Goodman  Transcripts;  Journal  of 
Joseph  Buell,  Hildredth,  Pioneer  History,   156  ;   St.   Clair  Papers,   II,   18,   30. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xi 

Harmar's  well  written,  informing  letters  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  give  the  impression  of  a  faithful,  wide  awake  public  servant. 
They  present  a  continuous  account  of  the  struggle  of  the  western 
army  against  disorder  and  lawless  colonization.  It  would  seem 
that  Harmar  succeeded  in  checking  the  squatter  movement  which 
had  set  into  the  Ohio  country,  that  he  drove  out  the  adventurers 
along  the  upper  Ohio  Kiver,  that  he  only  partially  stopped  the  same 
movement  across  the  lower  Ohio,  adventuring  from  the  Kentucky 
side  below  the  Falls,  and  finally  failed  utterly  to  master  the  divers 
elements  in  the  French  villages.  The  latter  passed  through  eight 
years  of  near  anarchy.41  The  American  frontiersmen  in  their 
midst  made  conditions  worse  than  they  would  have  otherwise  been. 
Remnants  of  the  Virginia  county  government  survived,  but  with 
such  the  French  had  little  sympathy  or  understanding.42  The 
French  villages  formed  in  reality  city-states  as  independent  as  their 
classic  predecessors  in  the  Mediterranean  basin  had  been. 

Though  Harmar's  forces  brought  the  squatter  movement 
under  a  fair  degree  of  control,  the  relations  of  the  government 
with  the  Indians  were  constantly  embarrassed  by  the  borderers 
who  broke  through  the  line  of  forts  along  the  Ohio  River  either 
for  the  game  or  the  plunder  to  be  found  on  the  Indian  lands.  The 
struggle  between  the  roving  bands  of  Indians  and  the  equally  law- 
less whites  was  a  ceaseless  one.  It  would  have  required  a  vastly 
larger  army  than  Harmar  possessed  to  have  effectually  curbed  these 
elements.43  Moreover  his  efforts  were  nullified  by  the  influence  of 
British  interests  on  the  northern  frontier.  He  constantly  pressed 
on  the  War  Department  the  view  that  the  United  States  could 
never  have  the  respect  of  the  Indians  as  long  as  the  British  garri- 
sons held  American  posts  on  the  Great  Lake  frontier.44  Such  was 
the  situation  in  1787.  Harmar  was  trying  to  guard  a  frontier  of 
more  than  twelve  hundred  miles  which  separated  the  white  out- 

"1782-1790. 

42  C.  W.  Alvord,  Cahokia  Records,  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  II,  cxl, 
cxviii. 

43  Harmar  to  Knox,  August  10,   1788,  August  9,   1787,  and  December  9, 
1787,  in  Goodman  Transcripts  ;   Saint  Clair  Papers,   II,   18  ;  Journal  of  John 
Mathews,  in  Hildredth's  Pioneer  History  of  Ohio,   177-183  ;  Roosevelt,  Win- 
ning of  the  West,  III,  88. 

"Harmar  to  Knox,  June  1,  1785;  to  Francis  Johnson,  June  21,  1785;  to 
Thomas  Mifflin,  June  25,  1785  ;  to  Knox,  July  16,  1785,  and  May  7,  1786,  in 
Goodman  Transcripts ;  Butler's  Journal  in  Olden  Time,  II,  502. 


xii  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

posts  of  civilization  from  the  Indian  regions.  Bichard  Butler  as 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  with  his  deputies  was  engaged 
in  bribing  the  Indians  with  presents  into  keeping  their  promises, 
while  equally  generous  British  agents  at  the  Lake  posts  were  an- 
nuling  the  effect  of  Butler's  work.'  Geographer  Hutchins  with 
his  small  bands  of  surveyors  was  laying  out  the  seven  ranges  of 
townships  on  the  upper  Ohio  Eiver.  Of  regular  civil  government 
there  was  none,  except  the  rudiments  in  the  French  city-states 
of  the  far  west ;  of  American  population  there  was  no  longer  any, 
except  that  which  clung  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  French  villages 
for  protection. 

On  July  13,  1787,  Congress  passed  an  ordinance  to  give  the 
Territory  of  the  Northwest  the  needed  local  government.  The 
matter  had  been  under  consideration  for  nearly  a  year.45  The 
plan  of  government  which  had  been  adopted  in  1784  needed  a  pro- 
vision for  the  period  in  which  there  were  not  enough  inhabitants 
to  constitute  a  republican  government.  Congress  was  in  a  frame 
of  mind  in  1787  to  consider  a  substitute  for  its  earlier  measure. 
Eecent  researches  show  beyond  doubt  that  there  was  an  organized 
drive  of  investors,  holders  of  revolutionary  bounty  rights,  and  of 
state  and  national  securities  of  indebtedness  to  force  Congress  to 
sell  the  western  land  in  large  lots  and  to  accept  securities  of  indebt- 
edness in  payment  at  their  face  value ;  they  show  further  that  these 
elements  were  cemented  together  by  the  fraternal  bonds  of  a  com- 
mon membership  in  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  and  in  the  Union 
Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  ;46  and  that  they  hastened  the 
action  of  Congress  in  providing  a  government  for  the  territory. 
However  the  Ordinance  of  1787  in  its  final  form  was  the  result 
of  several  years  deliberation.  The  usual  emphasis  in  the  consider- 
ation of  the  act  is  on  the  rudiments  of  a  Bill  of  Eights  and  the 
anti-slavery  clause  which  it  contained.  Yet  neither  of  those 
clauses  much  affected  the  history  of  the  Northwest.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  Northwest  would  hardly  have  acted  differently  if  the 
restraints  of  the  Ordinance  had  not  existed.  It  is  probably  true 
that  the  oratory  which  has  been  expended  upon  them  has  consider- 

«  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  701,  702,  703,  746,  747,  751. 

«•  Records  of  the  Ohio  Company,  Marietta  College  Historical  Collection,  I, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xiu 

ably  stimulated  American  ideals.  But  the  clauses  of  the  Ordinance 
which  provided  for  immediate  civil  government,  and  finally  for 
the  admission  of  the  several  portions  of  the  territory  into  the  na- 
tional union  of  states  on  equal  terms  with  the  original  states  were 
rules  which  determined  the  course  of  American  history.  They 
were  the  fulfilment  of  Congressional  pledges.47  In  them  states- 
manship of  the  highest  order  found  expression. 

How  timely  the  passage  of  the  act  was  is  shown  by  the  events 
of  the  succeeding  months.  Manasseh  Cutler48  and  Winthrop  Sar- 
gent49 carried  through  the  dual  contract  of  the  Ohio  Company  of 
Associates  and  the  Scioto  group  of  speculators.  And  before  a  year 
had  elapsed  Eufus  Putman50  as  superintendent  of  the  company  led 
the  advance  party  which  began  a  colonizing  movement  as  momen- 
tous as  any  in  American  history.51  Close  on  these  events  John  C. 
Symmes52  concluded  a  similar  contract  with  the  Treasury  Board 
on  behalf  of  the  Miami  Company,  and  led  in  person  another  body 
of  home  builders  into  the  Northwest.53  The  leaders  and  large 
part  of  the  colonists  were  Eevolutionary  soldiers  and  officers  from 
the  far  east.  Harmar  observed  that  they  were  a  very  different 
class  from  the  squatters  whom  he  had  been  expelling.54 

*T  Journals  of  Congress,  III,  October  10,  1780. 

48  Manasseh  Cutler,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1742,  graduated  at  Tale  Col- 
lege in  1765,  entered  the  ministry  in  1770,  pastor  in  Ipswich,  Massachusetts 
1771-1823,  chaplain  in  a  Massachusetts  regiment  during  the  Revolution,  lead- 
ing stockholder  in  the  Ohio  Company,  member  of  Congress,  1801-05,  died  in 
1823. 

49  Winthrop  Sargent,  born  in  Massachusetts,  1753,  graduated  at  Harvard 
College,  1771,  became  major  in  artillery  during  the  Revolution,  a  surveyor 
in    the    Northwest    after    the    Revolution,    stockholder    and    secretary    of   the 
Ohio  Company,  became  Secretary  of  Northwest  Territory  in  1788,  Governor 
of  Mississippi  Territory  in  1798,  died  in  1820. 

50  Rufus  Putnam,  born   in  Massachusetts  in   1738,  cousin   of  Israel  Put- 
nam, apprenticed  to  a  millwright  in  1754,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  French 
and  Indian  War,   1757,  a  practical   surveyor  from   1760,   entered  the  Revo- 
lutionary army  in  1775  as  lieutenant  colonel,  became  Colonel  and  chief  engi- 
neer in  the  army  in  1776,  Brigadier  General  in  1783,  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Legislature,  leading  stockholder  and  Director  of  the  Ohio  Company, 
Superintendent  of  the  Ohio  Company  from  1788,  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  Northwest  Territory,  1790-1796,  Surveyor  General  of  the  United  States, 
1796-1803. 

81  Cutler,  Life,  Journals  and  Correspondence  of  Manasseh  Cutler,  I,  ch.  9  ; 
The  John  May  Papers,  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society  Reports,  Vol.  97  ; 
Records  of  trie  Ohio  Company,  Marietta  College  Historical  Collections,  Vol. 
I,  13,  26. 

83  John  C.  Symmes,  born  in  New  York,  1742,  teacher  and  land  surveyor, 
soldier  in  army  of  Revolution,  member  of  Congress  from  New  Jersey,  1785, 
1786,  leading  promoter  of  Miami  Company  from  1787,  judge  of  Supreme 
Court  of  the  Northwest  Territory  1788-1803,  died  in  1818. 

63  Symmes,  Circular  to  the  Public,  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society 
of  Ohio,  Quarterly,  V,  82  ff. 

"Harmar  to  Knox,  April  26,  1788;  to  Johnston,  April  28,  1789,  in  Good- 
man Transcripts;  Harmar,  March  22,  1789,  and  November  9,  1789,  in  Journal 
of  Ebenezer  Denny,  Appendix,  pp.  440,  445. 


xiv  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  work  of  establishing  civil  government  began  with  the 
passage  of  the  Ordinance.  One  section  of  the  Ordinance  provided 
for  the  appointment  by  Congress  of  a  Governor,  a  Secretary,,  and 
three  judges  for  the  temporary  government  of  the  entire  North- 
west. The  terms  and  function  of  the  officers  were  prescribed.  The 
Governor  was  assigned  the  executive  functions,  the  judges  those  of 
a  judiciary.  The  Governor  and  the  judges  together  were  to  form 
a  territorial  Legislative  Council.  This  was  the  bridge  by  which 
the  government  of  the  territory  was  to  pass  from  the  rule  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  and  military  commandant  to 
the  first  stage  of  republican  government  when  there  should  be  a 
population  of  5,000  free  males.  On  October  5,  1787,  Congress 
chose  its  President,  Arthur  St.  Clair,55  Governor  of  the  North- 
west Territory,  and  Winthrop  Sargent,  Secretary.56  Manasseh 
Cutler's  very  human  and  Franklin  like  diary  bears  witness  to  the 
view  that  St.  Glair's  appointment  was  a  part  of  the  political  job- 
bery by  which  the  dual  purchase  of  the  Ohio  Company  and  the 
Scioto  group  had  been  put  through  Congress.57  St.  Clair  was  a 
large  land  owner  in  the  Ligonier  Valley  in  western  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  stockholder  of  the  Ohio  Company.58  The  office  of  northern 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  which  General  Eichard  Butler 
had  held,  was  at  the  same  time  merged  with  that  of  Governor.59 
That  Sargent  and  Parsons  should  be  Secretary  and  one  of  the 
three  judges,  respectively,  was  a  part  of  the  bargain  Cutler,  on 
behalf  of  the  Ohio  Company,  carried  through  Congress.  Both  were 
Directors  of  the  Ohio  Company.  James  M.  Varnum,60  another 
Director  of  the  Ohio  Company,  and  John  C.  Symmes,  the  leading 
stockholder  in  the  Miami  Company,  were  the  other  judges  chosen 

"Arthur  St.  Clair,  born  in  Scotland,  1734,  educated  at  University  of 
Edinburgh,  entered  British  army  and  served  in  America  in  French  and  Indian 
War,  settled  in  western  Pennsylvania  in  1764,  became  Colonel  in  Revolu- 
tionary army,  1776,  Major  General,  1777,  member  of  Congress,  1785-7,  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  1787,  President  of  Pennsylvania  Society  of  the  Cincinnati, 
1783-9,  Governor  of  Northwest  Territory,  1788-1802. 

56  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  786. 

57  Cutler,   Life,   Journals,  and  Correspondence  of,   July  23,  26,   1787. 
68  St.  Clair  Papers,  I,  7  ;  Records  of  the  Ohio  Company,  I,  49n. 

59  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,  784-5. 

60  James  M.  Varnum,  born  in  Massachusetts,  1749,  graduated  from  Rhode 
Island  College   (Brown  University),  in  1769,  began  the  practice  of  law,  1771, 
became  colonel  in  Rhode  Island  regiment,  1775,  brigadier  general  in   Conti- 
nental army,   1777,  member  of  Congress,   1780-82,   1786-7,   a   stockholder  and 
director  of  the  Ohio  Company,   appointed  a  judge  in  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Northwest  Territory,   1787-9. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xv 

by  Congress.61  It  was  a  government  in  its  personnel  of  great  land- 
lords, as  colonizing  enterprises  in  American  History  had  generally 
been. 

The  first  immigrants  of  the  Ohio  Company  who  arrived  in  the 
Spring  of  1788  were  in  advance  of  the  arrival  of  St.  Clair,  and  had 
to  provide  in  a  measure  for  their  own  civil  affairs.  The  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Ohio  Company  set  up  a  temporary  local  village 
organization  in  June,  1788,  for  the  interim  until  the  regularly  con- 
stituted authorities  should  arrive.  The  Board  itself  acted  as  a 
local  Board  of  Police  in  Marietta.  It  organized  the  inhabitants 
into  local  militia,  and  minutely  regulated  the  local  affairs  of  the 
busy  community.  A  minister  and  a  teacher  were  engaged,  and 
the  expenses  borne  by  the  company's  revenues.62  But  the  period 
of  extra-legal  proprietary  government  soon  passed. 

Early  in  July  one  of  Hal-mar's  military  barges,  driven  by 
twelve  oarsmen,  met  Governor  St.  Clair  at  Pittsburg  and  bore  him 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  western  army,  located  at  Fort  Harmar, 
across  the  Muskingum  from  Marietta.  Soldiers  and  civilians  were 
duly  impressed  by  the  solemnity  of  the  first  act  in  the  drama  of 
actually  establishing  Civil  Government  in  the  Northwest.  The 
fifteenth  day  of  July  1788,  was  set  for  the  formal  opening.  What 
seemed  appropriate  ceremonies  took  place  at  the  bower  erected  for 
the  occasion  in  the  clearing  which  was  becoming  the  site  of  Mari- 
etta. After  the  formalities  of  the  occasion 'St.  Clair  described  the 
temporary  government  which  he  was  to  establish  for  the  infancy 
of  the  territory.63 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  entrusted  the  Governor  with  the  duty 
of  laying  out  the  territory  into  counties  and  townships,  and  ap- 
pointing the  necessary  officials  for  local  administration.  The  exe- 
cution of  this  duty  together  with  the  exigencies  of  Indian  Affairs 
made  his  office  to  a  considerable  extent  an  itinerant  one.  A  procla- 
mation of  July  27,  1788,  formed  the  region  east  of  the  line  of  the 
Cuyahoga,  the  Tuscarawas,  and  the  Scioto  Eivers  into  a  county 
with  the  name  of  Washington.  The  offices  well  known  in  the 


61  Journals  of  Congress,  IV,   799,   809. 

82  The  John  May  Papers,  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society  Reports, 
Vol.  97,  pp.  71,  104-112  ;  Records  of  the  Ohio  Company,  I,  40 ;  II,  6,  7,  29, 
50-51. 

«  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  53-56. 


xvi  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Pennsylvania  county  system  were  created,  and  the  appointments 
made.6*  The  progress  of  the  Miami  Company  between  the  Little 
Miami  and  the  Big  Miami  Rivers  led  to  the  organization  of  Hamil- 
ton county  in  January,  1790.  The  middle  settlement  of  the  com- 
pany, christened  Cincinnati  and  made  the  headquarters  of  the  west- 
ern army,  became  the  county  seat.65  St.  Clair  proceded  from  Cin- 
cinnati on  a  tour  of  organization.  At  Clarksville,  a  small  settle- 
ment forming  on  George  Eogers  Clark's  tract,  St.  Clair  tarried  to 
make  a  beginning  of  local  government,  appointing  a  justice  of  the 
peace  and  the  officers  of  the  militia.66  The  French  settlers  farther 
west  had  petitioned  for  relief  from  their  political  anarchy.  St. 
Clair  undertook  to  meet  their  wishes.  His  party  arrived  in  Kas- 
kaskia  in  February,  1790.  He  found  the  task  before  him  a  com- 
plicated one.  The  settlement  of  land  claims  proved  to  be  a  diffi- 
cult problem,  and  delayed  him  many  months.  In  the  end  Con- 
gress gave  every  head  of  a  family  in  the  western  villages,  whether 
French  or  American,  who  was  living  in  the  region  in  1783,  400 
acres  of  land.  Every  man  enlisted  in  the  militia  in  1790  also  re- 
ceived 100  acres  of  land.67  The  poor,  gentle  folk  of  the  French 
villages  were  not  easily  converted  into  an  American  political  com- 
munity. But  the  usual  procedure  was  gone  through.  The  region 
from  the  Ohio  River  northward  along  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  the 
junction  of  the  Little  Mackinaw  Creek  with  the  Illinois  River  was 
joined  together  into  St.  Clair  County,  and  the  usual  appointments 
from  the  local  population  made.68  St.  Clair  had  intended  to  re- 
turn by  Vincennes,  and  there  to  organize  a  fourth  county,  but 
Indian  matters  demanded  his  presence  among  the  settlements  on 
the  upper  Ohio.  He  accordingly  sent  Secretary  Sargent  to  Vin- 
cennes to  carry  out  that  part  of  his  program.  The  Wabash  settle- 
ment received  the  county  form  of  government,  and  the  name  of 
Knox,  the  Secretary  of  War.  In  the  period  of  preliminary  or- 
ganization St.  Clair  used  the  executive  proclamation  freely,  and 
encroached  on  the  powers  of  the  Legislative  Council.  Against  this 

"St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  78-9. 

65  Ibid,  II,  129. 

68  Ibid,  II,   131n;   Caleb  Atwater,  History  of  Ohio,  p.   130. 

67  American  State  Papers,  Public  Lands,  II,  124;   C.  W.  Alvord,  Cahokia 
Records,  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  II,  cxl. 

68  St.  Clair  Papers,  I,  168  ;  II,  136. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xvii 

tendency  President  Washington  warned  him,  and  in  characteristic 
stilted  phrases  advised  circumspection  in  conduct  in  order  to  avoid 
a  ground  of  clamor  against  public  characters.69 

The  three  judges  appointed  by  Congress  constituted  a  Supreme 
Court.  Judge  Varnum  died  in  1789,  and  General  Parsons  in  1790. 
President  Washington  appointed  George  Turner70  and  Rufus  Put- 
man  to  fill  the  vacancies.71  The  judges  seldom  sat  together  in  a 
joint  court.  In  practice  each  one  held  court  where  he  was  residing, 
with  an  occasional  session  in  an  outlying  settlement.  Symmes  and 
Putman  were  the  active  directors  of  the  two  dominant  land  com- 
panies of  the  Northwest.  Every  land  dispute  that  arose  was  con- 
nected with  some  act  of  one  or  the  other  of  them.  This  meant 
that  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  frequently  sitting  in  judg- 
ment over  his  acts.  St.  Clair  recommended  an  amendment  to  the 
Ordinance  to  require  the  presence  of  two  or  more  judges  in  each 
session  of  the  court,  and  to  grant  the  privilege  of  appeal  to  the 
Federal  Courts.72  The  immediate  result  was  to  widen  the  breach 
which  had  already  opened  between  the  judges  and  the  Governor  in 
making  laws. 

The  Ordinance  joined  the  Governor  and  Judges  in  a  Legis- 
lative Council  whose  function  was  "to  adopt  and  publish  *  *  * 
such  laws  of  the  original  States  *  *  *  as  may  be  necessary 
*  *  *  which  shall  be  in  force  *  *  *  unless  disapproved 
by  Congress."  The  process  of  making  laws  was  irregular  and 
simple  in  the  early  period.  The  Legislative  Council  adopted  laws 
until  1795  by  informal  conference  or  correspondence.  In  only 
two  cases  were  there  more  than  two  judges  joined  with  the  Gover- 
nor in  the  passage  of  a  law.  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any 
regular  time  or  place,  or  indeed  any  meeting  at  all  for  the  purpose 
of  making  laws.  The  Governor  and  the  Judges  acted  as  occasion 


69  Washington  to  St.  Clair,  January  2,  1791,  SL  Clair  Papers,  II,  198. 

70  George  Turner,  from  Virginia  was  appointed  in  1789.     Little  is  known 
of  his   life.      He  removed   to   the  Far  West   in   1796,   and   resigned   from   the 
territorial  court,  in  1797. 

71  In   1789   the   Congress   of   the   United    States   re-enacted   the   Ordinance 
of  1787.  modified  so  as  to  give  the  power  to  appoint  officers  of  the  territory 
to  the  President  with  the  Senate  as  required  by  the  Constitution. 

"St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  332-4,  339-40. 


xvni         ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

arose.73  The  members  of  this  Legislative  Council  differed  from 
the  beginning  over  the  meaning  of  the  clause  of  the  ordinance 
which  defined  the  law-making  power  of  themselves.  The  clause 
began  with  the  phrase  "the  governor  and  judges,  or  a  majority  of 
them  shall/'  etc.  St.  Glair  contended  that  the  clause  meant  that 
the  governor's  assent  was  necessary  to  all  laws.  The  true  mean- 
ing, he  said,  was  that  "the  governor  and  judges,  or  a  majority  of 
them,  provided  the  governor  be  one  of  that  majority,  shall,"  etc. 
The  judges  held  to  the  equality  of  the  four  members  of  the  Legis- 
lative Council.  The  Governor's  view  in  effect  gave  him  an  abso- 
lute veto,  and  this  at  a  time  when  the  executive  veto  was  relatively 
uncommon  in  the  older  states.  This  was  only  one  of  several  con- 
troversies over  the  interpretation  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  A 
clause  of  the  Ordinance  had  authorized  the  Legislative  Council  to 
"adopt  and  publish  in  the  district  such  laws  of  the  original  States 

*  *     *     as  may  be  necessary  and  best  suited  to  the  circumstances 

*  *     *     which  laws  shall  be  in  force     *     *     *     unless  disap- 
proved by  Congress."     The  judges  assumed  that  the  clause  might 
be  liberally  construed,  and  accordingly  chose  laws  of  the  original 
States,  modifying  them  to  suit  the  circumstances  of  the  frontier. 
St.  Clair  took  the  view  that  the  law  limited  their  power  to  the 
adoption  without  modification  of  laws  of  the  States. 

The  issue  has  generally  been  made  to  illustrate  the  jealous 
care  of  St.  Clair  for  the  powers  of  the  executive  and  reflect  certain 
of  his  unpleasant  traits  of  character.  As  a  matter  of  fact  his  case 
is  a  strong  one.  He  did  not  accuse  his  opponents  of  any  ulterior 
motives.  He  conceded  that  the  judges  were  by  legal  training 
better  qualified  to  make  laws  if  laws  were  to  be  made  by  the  Coun- 
cil than  he  was,  but  he  contended  that  their  procedure  was  a  form 
of  loose  construction  not  warranted  by  the  Ordinance,  that  their 
function  was  to  select  laws  made  by  the  democratic  legislatures  of 
the  States,  and  that  otherwise  the  liberties  of  the  people  of  the 

T3  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  80nl,  167n,  275n,  311n.  The  Ordinances  of  1788, 
1790,  and  1791,  were  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1792  by  Francis  Childs  and 
John  Swaine  as  "Laws  passed  in  the  Territory  of  the  United  States  North- 
west of  the  Ohio  River."  Those  of  1792  were  published  under  the  same  title 
by  the  same  publishers  in  1794.  The  acts  of  1795  were  published  in  1796 
at  Cincinnati  by  Wm.  Maxwell,  and  are  commonly  known  as  the  Maxwell 
code.  Those  of  1798  were  published  at  Cincinnati  in  1798  by  Edmund  Free- 
man, and  are  called  the  Freeman  code. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xix 

Northwest  would  be  endangered.  On  the  one  hand  the  judges 
made  the  law-giving  body  of  the  territory  a  small  group  of  four 
men,  in  which  group  the  promoters  of  the  land  companies  were 
dominant;  on  the  other  the  Governor  made  the  eastern  state  legis- 
latures the  law-making  body,  leaving  the  Legislative  Council  of 
the  territory  to  choose  from  the  codes  of  the  East.  On  St.  Glair's 
side  was  the  argument  that  the  basis  of  legislation  in  the  ultimate 
analysis  was  the  representative  assembly;  on  the  side  of  the  judges 
the  defense  that  laws  made  for  older  eastern  communities  were 
seldom  adapted  to  frontier  conditions.  Congress  accepted  St. 
Glair's  view  of  the  situation.-  It  ruled  that  his  assent  was  neces- 
sary to  every  law,  and  also  withheld  its  approval  from  the  laws 
which  had  departed  in  phraseology  from  the  acts  of  the  original 
States.  However  as  the  judges  decided  that  the  mere  withholding 
of  approval  from  territorial  acts  did  not  annul  them,  and  continued 
to  be  guided  in  their  courts  by  the  laws  which  Congress  had  re- 
fused to  approve,  and  as  an  attempt  in  Congress  to  expressly  de- 
clare such  laws  null  and  void  failed  of  passage,  the  legal  situation 
in  the  Northwest  was  for  a  time  confusion  confounded.74 

If  St.  Glair  was  the  nominal  victor  in  the' .controversy  over 
legislative  procedure,  he  lost  in  the  other  ovetf  '-judicial  procedure. 
On  May  8,  1792,  Congress  for  a  second  time  amended  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787.75  The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  were  author- 
ized to  hold  court  separately,  and  the  recommendation  of  St.  Clair 
rejected.  The  amendment  also  empowered  the  Governor  and 
Judges  as  the  Legislative  Council  to  repeal  laws  as  well  as  enact 
them.76 

The  laws  of  the  period  followed  the  well  worn  paths  of  Ameri- 
can legislation  for  the  frontier.  The  first  act  of  the  law  makers 
reflected  the  social  conditions  of  the  time  and  place.  All  men  from 
16  years  to  50  years  of  age  were  to  be  enrolled  in  militia  companies, 
furnish  their  own  arms  and  hold  a  weekly  muster  each  Sunday 
morning  at  ten  o'clock  at  a  place  near  the  house  of  worship.  St. 
Clair  advised  the  enrollment  of  all  new-comers  as  they  arrived.77 

"From   1792   to   1795.     St.    Clair  Papers,   II,    64,   67,    78nl,    333,    363-4; 
Burnet,  Notes  of  the  Northwest,  p.  417. 
75  See  note  71. 

M  Annals  of  Congress,  III,  1395;  Laws  of  the  United  States,  1796,  II,  126. 
"  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  61. 


xx  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

He  had  undoubtedly  gotten  the  idea  of  continuous  enrollment  from 
the  measures  which  the  Directors  of  the  Ohio  Company  took  in 
the  brief  interim  in  1788  before  his  arrival  in  the  Northwest.  They 
had  appointed  an  officer  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  a  census  of  the 
settlers.  Travellers  or  immigrants  were  put  under  obligation  to 
report  to  this  officer  within  24  hours  after  arrival.78  Nothing  so 
simple  and  sensible  and  yet  so  likely  to  be  irksome  to  the  individ- 
ualists could  survive  the  air  of  license  of  the  frontier.  Few  of  the 
territorial  laws  have  any  special  historical  interest  today.  The 
creation  of  courts  of  justice,  the  definition  of  crime,  the  authoriza- 
tion of  court  houses,  jails,  pillories,  whipping  posts  and  stocks  for 
the  several  communities  were  signs  of  the  westward  march  of  the 
old  civilization. 

The  development  of  Civil  Government  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory was  impeded  by  the  Indian  wars.  During  the  closing  scenes 
of  the  Confederation  the  Indian  conflict  was  put  off  by  more  and 
more  lavish  gifts.79  The  territorial  authorities  awaited  anxiously 
the  inauguration  of  the  stronger  National  Government  in  1789. 
The  problem  of  the  Indian  of  the  Northwest  was  bequeathed  to  the 
administration  of  President  Washington.80  But  the  vigorous,  com- 
pact settlements  of  the  Ohio  Company  and  the  Miami  Company  in 
the  Ohio  Valley  in  1788  and  1789  alarmed  the  more  warlike  tribes 
and  consolidated  the  bolder  warriors  into  a  party  of  action  before 
the  new  Federal  Government  was  ready  to  meet  the  situation.81  St. 
Glair  and  Harmar  battled  with  the  hopeless  task  with  the  small 
and  badly  organized  forces  given  them.  St.  Clair  outlined  a  plan 
of  campaign  which  called  for  a  force  nearly  twice  the  number 
Harmar  had,  to  be  officered  by  regular  army  officers,  instead  of 
State  militia  officers,  and  which  should  advance  in  three  or  four 
divisions  from  the  Ohio  River  posts.82  The  Secretary  of  War 
thought  a  plan  of  such  magnitude  "would  not  be  compatible  with 
the  public  view  or  the  public  finance,"83  and  advised  a  small  puni- 

78  The  John  May  Papers,  Western   Reserve  Historical   Society,   Reports, 
Vol.  97,  p.  107. 

T9St  Clair  Papers,  II,  40,  47,  50,  90,  101. 

80  Harmar  to  Knox,  June  14,  1788,  October  13,  17S8,  in  Goodman  Trans- 
cripts. 

81  Cutler,  Life,  Journal,  and  Correspondence  of  Manasseh  Cutler,  I,   389; 
Harmar  to  Knox,  June  9,  1789,  in  Goodman  Transcripts. 

82  St.   Clair  Papers,   II,   90,   91. 

83  St.  Clair  Papers,  II,  183. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xxi 

tive  expedition.  It  is  apparent  that  the  western  leaders  had  one 
problem  in  mind,  the  Secretary  of  War  another.  There  were  two 
real  problems.  The  historical  question  is  how  much  by  way  of 
sacrifice  the  citizens  of  the  new  republic  would  have  made  for  the 
western  territory.  The  Secretary  of  War  doubted  the  wisdom  of 
making  the  call  which  the  western  authorities  deemed  needful. 
Harmar's  expedition  in  October,  1790,  was  the  attempt  of  the  terri- 
torial authorities  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  Department  of  War. 
Harmar  led  the  western  army,  re-enforce'd  by  a  small  body  of  short 
term  militia,  from  Cincinnati  through  the  almost  pathless  forests 
to  the  headwaters  of  the  Wabash  and  the  Maumee  Kivers.  He 
burned  the  Indian  villages  and  destroyed  their  standing  crops. 
The  immediate  object  of  the  expedition  was  accomplished,  but  at 
such  a  cost  in  the  loss  of  life  from  counter  Indian  attacks  that  it 
was  a  moral  defeat.84  The  risk  of  a  punitive  campaign  150  miles 
into  the  Indian  country  was  repeated  in  1791.  The  better  mili- 
tary opinion  in  the  Northwest  had  advised  against  such  an  expedi- 
tion.85 The  conditions  were  altogether  against  success.  St.  Clair 
had  been  given  the  chief  command.  It  is  doubtful  whether  St. 
Clair  showed  the  proper  aggressive  leadership.  Certain  it  is  that 
factors  beyond  his  control  made  defeat  inevitable.  The  militia 
arrived  too  late  for  effective  cooperation.  A  large  part  of  them 
were  entirely  without  military  experience,  and  therefore  worse  than 
useless.  The  commissariat  grossly  mismanaged  its  affairs.  The 
only  conclusion  of  interest  to  historical  students  is  that  the  re- 
sponsibility for  the  disastrous  campaign  should  properly  be  dis- 
tributed among  the  authorities  concerned. 

Such  expeditions  as  Harmar s  in  1790  and  St.  Claires  in  1791 
only  embolded  and  infuriated  the  Indians.  For  the  three  years 
which  followed,  the  frontier  settlements  were  thrown  into  a  state  of 
siege.  Settlements  receded,  and  Civil  Government  was  almost  para- 
lyzed. This  condition  endured  until  General  Wayne  had  taken 
over  the  military  command,  and  slowly  and  painstakingly  con- 

84  Harmar,  October  21,  1790,  November  4,  1790,  in  Goodman  Transcripts; 
American  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs,  I,  104-5,  121-2  ;  Burnet,  Notes  on  the 
Northwest,  pp.  127-8. 

85  The  opinions  of  Harmar  and  St.  Clair  already  cited ;  that  of  General 
Rufus  Putnam,   St.   Clair  Papers,   II,   305  ;    of  Judge  John  C.   Symmes,   His- 
torical and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio,  Quarterly,  V,  93. 


xxii  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

quered  the  obstacles  his  predecessors  had  not  been  given  either 
the  time  or  the  resources  to  overcome.  The  Battle  of  Fallen  Tim- 
ber ended  an  era  in  Northwestern  History.  But  Jay's  treaty, 
which  withdrew  the  British  from  Detroit  and  placed  an  American 
garrison  there,  was  an  equally  vital  factor.  The  Indians  doubly 
discouraged  by  defeat  and  by  the  apparent  desertion  of  the  British 
entered  into  the  Treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795.  By  that  a  great 
section  of  the  Northwest  Territory — more  than  half  of  what  was 
to  be  Ohio — was  finally  freed  from  the  Indian  barrier  to  settlement 
and  civil  government. 

The  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  Northwest  territory  passed  in 
1795.  The  last  of  the  several  barriers  to  the  development  of  an 
orderly  colonial  or  territorial  system  had  been  overcome.  The 
original  backwoodsmen  were  from  this  time  returning  as  settlers, 
either  on  the  lands  of  Congress  or  of  one  of  the  land  companies. 
in  competition  with  adventurers  from  the  seaboard.  The  Ordi- 
nance of  1786  by  which  the  Indian  trade  was  limited  to  licensed 
American  traders  was  superseded  in  1796  by  the  statute  which  took 
over  the  Indian  trade  as  a  government  monopoly.  The  Federal 
Government  for  a  time  maintained  trading  posts  in  the  North- 
west, employed  managers  and  clerks  at  the  stores,  and  purchased 
goods  for  the  trade.  The  adventure  of  the  Government  in  a  field 
ordinarily  reserved  for  private  enterprise  was  devised  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Indians.  It  was  never  very  popular  in  Congress  or 
out  of  Congress,  and  soon  ran  its  course.86 

The  informal  processes  of  government  which  had  marked  the 
history  of  the  Northwest  through  nearly  seven  years  gave  way  to 
more  formal  ones.  Emergency  law-making  by  executive  procla- 
mation ceased.  Law-making  by  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  who 
were  at  the  same  time  landlords  of  the  territory  likewise  ceased. 
The  Legislative  Council  formally  organized  as  a  legislative  body 
at  Cincinnati,  May  29,  1795,  and  remained  in  continuous  session 
until  August  25.  A  general  code  of  laws,  selected  as  the  Ordi- 
nance prescribed  from  the  statutes  of  the  original  States,  was 
adopted  and  published.  A  period  of  government  by  borrowed  legis- 
lation succeeded.  The  theory  was  as  follows:  if  the  people  of  the 

M  Annals  of  Congress,  V,  152,  170,  230,  241,  904,   939. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  xxm 

territories  were  not  yet  able  to  make  their  own  laws,  the  next  best 
thing  would  be  to  employ  the  laws  of  communities  which  were 
democratically  organized.  The  laws  of  1795  were  almost  all  bor- 
rowed from  Pennsylvania.  A  second  session  of  the  Legislative 
Council  sat  in  1798,  and  a  second  code  was  drafted.87  The  laws 
of  1798  were  drawn  rather  evenly  from  the  codes  of  the  States. 
The  larger  number  was  adopted  from  Kentucky,  rather  naturally 
for  its  frontier  conditions  were  more  closely  akin  to  those  of  the 
Northwest  territory.  The  opportunity  to  adopt  laws  from  Ken- 
tucky after  its  admission  into  the  Union  made  it  easier  to  reconcile 
the  rule  of  the  Ordinance  with  the  practical  conditions  of  a  fron- 
tier, the  judgment  of  the  judges  as  to  practical  legislation  with 
the  political  instinct  of  the  Governor.88 

The  further  progress  in  the  organization  of  Civil  Government 
in  the  Northwest  was  along  the  paths  prescribed  by  the  Ordinance 
of  1787.  The  critical  period  of  the  first  phase  of  organization  had 
passed.  The  records  of  the  Northwest  Territory  showed  in  1798 
a  population  of  5,000  males.  St.  Clair  made  the  fact  known  as 
was  his  duty  under  the  Ordinance.  A  representative  assembly  was 
duly  chosen  and  assembled  at  Cincinnati  in  September,  1799. 
Delegates  from  the  nine  counties  which  by  this  time  formed  the 
Territory  of  the  Northwest  constituted  the  popular  element  in  the 
Legislature,  and  five  Councillors  the  second  branch.89  The  event 
inaugurated  the  second  step  toward  the  creation  of  full  republican 
government.  The  final  step  came  as  a  matter  of  course  as  por- 
tions of  the  territory  reached  the  mark  in  population  set  for  state- 
hood. The  overcoming  of  one  barrier  after  another  to  Civil  Gov- 
ernment in  the  Northwest,  and  the  progress  from  one  stage  to  an- 
other as  outlined  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787  were  events  which  put 
into  operation  the  American  Colonial  or  Territorial  System.  In 

87  Laws  of  the   Territory   of  the  United   States  Northwest   of  the   Ohio. 
Cincinnati,   1796.     St.  Glair's  Papers,  I,   312,   353,  II,  354.     William  Maxwell, 
publisher  of  this  code,  was  the  owner  and  publisher  of  the  "Centinel  of  the 
Northwest,"  the  first  newspaper  of  the  territory.     It  began  appearing  at  Cin- 
cinnati in  1793,  and  continued  for  three  years. 

88  Laws   of   the   Territory   of  the   United   States   Northwest  of  the   Ohio 
River,  Cincinnati,  1798.     Printed  by  Edmund  Freeman.     St.  Clair  Papers.  11, 
438.     Freeman  purchased  the  "Centinel  of  the  Northwest"  from  William  Max- 
well in  1796,  and  changed  its  name  to  "Freeman's  Journal."     He  continued 
to  publish  his  newspaper  in  Cincinnati  until  he  removed  to  Chillicothe  where 
he  sold  it  to  the  publishers  of  the  Scioto  Gazette. 

89  St.   Clair  Papers,  II,   438-9. 


xziv          ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

them  the  United  States  finally  mastered  the  problem  with  which 
the  British  Government  began  to  grapple  in  its  Proclamation  of 
1763.90  But  the  British  Proclamation,  because  it  said  in  effect 
"thus  far  shalt  thou  go,"  and  because  its  authors  accompanied  it 
by  a  scheme  of  imperial  taxation,  and  failed  to  relieve  the  situa- 
tion by  compensating  constructive  measures  of  imperial  organiza- 
tion, led  straight  to  the  Eevolution.  The  American  colonial  policy 
after  a  short  period  of  restraint  opened  the  national  domain  to 
occupation,  assured  the  colonizers  self-government,  and  their  politi- 
cal organizations  equality  with  the  original  States  in  a  National 
Union.  Those  who  formulated  the  American  System  found  ways 
of  carrying  out  the  promises  in  spite  of  formidable  obstacles. 

»°  Cf.  C.  W.  Alvord,  The  Mississippi  Valley  in  British  Politics. 


THE  RANDOLPH  COUNTY  CELEBRATION 

OBSERVANCE  IN  MEMORY  OP  THE  FOUNDERS  OF  THE  STATE  HELD  AT 

CHESTER  AND  AT   THE    PIONEER   CEMETERY,    OVERLOOKING 

THE  SITE  OF  HISTORIC  KASKASKIA,  JULY  4,  1918. 

The  pilgrimage  of  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden,  other  State 
officers,  and  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  to  Kaskaskia  on 
July  4,  stands  out  as  one  of  the  striking  features  of  the  Centennial 
celebration.  The  day  was  crowded  with  interest,  and  all  who  at- 
tended felt  well  repaid  for  the  time  spent  in  this  observance  in 
honor  of  the  first  capital  of  the  State. 

The  official  party  consisting  of  Governor  Lowden,  Auditor 
Andrew  Eussel,  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt  and  other  officials  and  guests 
left  Springfield  in  a  special  Pullman  car  early  on  the  morning  of 
July  4,  and  arrived  in  Chester  at  noon.  Under  the  direction  of 
the  Eandolph  County  Centennial  Committee,  elaborate  arrange- 
ments had  been  made  for  the  celebration  in  Chester.  A  parade  was 
held  during  the  morning,  a  mass  meeting  during  the  afternoon  and 
"The  Masque  of  Illinois"  was  given  in  the  evening. 

At  1 :30  o'clock  the  official  party  went  to  the  mass  meeting  in 
the  high  school  grounds.  At  this  meeting  which  was  presided  over 
by  Judge  A.  E.  Crisler,  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  director  of  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration,  read  the  Declaration  of  Independence;  Wallace 
Eice,  pageant  writer  of  the  Centennial  Commission,  read  his  origi- 
nal poem,  "The  Freeing  of  Illinois,"  and  Governor  Lowden  spoke. 
Fifteen  thousand  people  were  present  and  this  enormous  crowd, 
the  largest  ever  seen  in  Chester,  was  thrilled  by  the  Governor's 
patriotic  and  inspiring  address.  Mr.  William  A.  Meese  delivered 
an  historical  address  entitled,  "Illinois  and  Eandolph  County." 

Immediately  after  Governor  Lowden's  address  the  official  party 
went  to  Evergreen  cemetery,  where,  in  a  simple  ceremony,  the  Gov- 
ernor placed  a  wreath  of  flowers  upon  the  tomb  of  Shadrach  Bond, 

223 


224  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

the  first  governor  of  the  State.  In  placing  the  wreath,  Governor 
Lowden  said : 

"It  is  a  great  privilege  to  be  able  to  bring  this  wreath  to  the 
tomb  of  the  first  Governor  of  Illinois.  May  we  not  indulge  the 
hope  that  the  new  century,  just  opening,  may  redound  as  greatly 
to  the  credit  of  Illinois  as  the  century  which  Governor  Shadrach 
Bond  inaugurated." 

The  Invocation  was  offered  by  the  Eight  Eeverend  Henry 
Althoff,  Bishop  of  Belleville  in  the  following  words : 

Almighty,  Eternal  God,  we  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
assembled  in  these  venerable  historic  surroundings,  consecrated 
by  labors,  sacrifices  and  religious  life  of  our  forefathers,  most 
humbly  and  devoutly  invoke  Thy  adorable  Name,  on  this  solemn 
and  memorable  occasion  of  the  Centennial  observance  of  our  State. 

We  offer  Thee,  Heavenly  Father,  our  profound  homage  and 
the  love  of  our  hearts  in  grateful  remembrance  of  all  the  benefits 
which  Thy  bountiful  Hand  has  bestowed  upon  our  State  and  its 
people  during  the  past  one  hundred  years  of  its  existence. 

We  are  mindful  today  that  the  history  of  our  State  is  a 
glorious  one,  made  such,  under  Thy  loving  Providence,  by  the 
wise  administration  of  its  rulers  and  the  wholehearted  cooperation 
of  its  people,  united,  loyal  and  virtuous,  and  devoted  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  trade  and  business,  of  art  and  science,  and  of  educa- 
tion and  religion. 

Deign,  0  Lord,  evermore  to  bless  our  State  and  grant  each  of 
us  the  grace  to  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  Thy  holy  Truth 
and  the  love  of  Thy  holy  law. 

Grant,  also,  Thy  blessing  and  protection  to  our  country,  to 
the  President  and  to  all  our  fellow-citizens. 

Have  in  Thy  keeping  our  dear  young  men  who  have  donned 
our  country's  uniform  and  are  fighting  for  the  honor  of  onr 
country's  flag.  Give  them  strength  and  comfort  in  their  trials. 

We  pray  that  the  Cross  of  Thy  Son,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
planted  here  by  the  saintly  missionaries  and  their  colaborers,  may 
be  honored  more  and  more  and  be  the  source  of  great  blessings  to 
the  people  of  this  State.  Amen. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  225 

Then  the  party  immediately  drove  to  the  hill  above  Fort  Gage, 
where,  on  a  platform  overlooking  the  site  of  old  Kaskaskia  itself 
and  near  the  old  cemetery  in  which  the  dead  of  Kaskaskia  lie 
buried,  a  brief  program  was  given.  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  chairman 
of  the  State  Centennial  Commission  presided. 

Mr.  Gary  Westenberger  sang  'The  Star-Spangled  Banner/ 
and  the  Illinois  Centennial  songs.  Mr.  Frederick  Bruegger  read 
Mr.  x  Bice's  ode  to  Kaskaskia,  and  Governor  Lowden  spoke  briefly. 

The  party  then  took  the  train  and  returned  to  Springfield. 


ADDRESS  OF  GOVERNOR  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN  AT  THE 
CENTENNIAL  EXERCISES  AT  CHESTER 

It  is  indeed  fitting  that  one  of  the  great  celebrations  of  this 
Centennial  year  should  be  held  in  Randolph  County,  for  here  we 
are  nearer  the  beginnings  of  Illinois,  the  real  beginning  of  Illinois, 
than  we  could  be  at  any  other  spot  within  our  boundaries. 

Within  a  very  short  distance  from  here  were  old  Kaskaskia 
and  Fort  Gage;  a  little  farther  were  Prairie  du  Rocher  and  Fort 
Chartres,  and  so  here  more  than  any  other  place  within  the  State, 
memories  sweep  in  from  our  earliest  years. 

It  is  indeed  a  very  notable  fact  that  for  almost  one  hundred 
years  within  this  county  there  was  transplanted  a  bit  of  old 
France,  and  that  old  bit  lived  in  peace  and  happiness  and  security 
with  a  wilderness  all  about  it.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  explain 
the  fact  that  here  for  one  hundred  years  was  a  civilization  when 
the  savages  roamed  the  woods  and  prairies  on  every  hand.  So  to- 
day the  Centennial  Commission  planned  wisely  when  it  planned 
to  have  this  celebration  here. 

During  all  those  earliest  years  the  accounts  that  come  to  us 
make  those  days  rich  in  romance.  Little  Kaskaskia,  insignificant 
if  measured  by  the  number  of  its  inhabitants,  had  life  that  gave 
color  and  hope  to  all  this  western  land.  When  at  the  close  of  the 
French  and  Indian  Wars  Kaskaskia  became  a  part  of  the  British 
soil  and  the  Fleur  de  Lis  was  hauled  down  that  the  Cross  of  St. 
George  might  be  run  up  in  its  place,  the  character  of  the  town 
changed  but  little.  The  French  remained;  their  old  mode  of  life 
—15  C  C 


226  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

remained,  as  the  records  in  your  court  house  here  disclose.  For 
a  few  years  Kaskaskia  was  nominally  under  English  rule,  but  in 
fact  the  life  of  the  city  changed  hardly  at  all. 

It  is  just  one  hundred  and  forty  years  ago  today  that  that 
little  army  of  which  Mr.  Eice  has  written  so  beautifully,  came  upon 
the  scene;  an  army  smaller  than  an  infantry  regiment;  smaller  in 
fact  than  even  a  battalion  of  an  infantry  regiment  of  today,  re- 
cruited largely  in  Virginia,  and  sailing  down  the  Ohio,  disembarked 
at  Fort  Massac  on  our  southern  boundary.  The  original  purpose 
was  to  sail  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi 
to  Kaskaskia  by  your  own  present  site  of  Chester.  In  order,  how- 
ever, to  surprise  the  enemy,  George  Eogers  Clark  disembarked  his 
force  at  Fort  Massac,  marched  /through  the  storms,  through  the 
woods  and  over  the  prairies  until  on  July  4,  1778,  he  reached  the 
environs  of  that  old  town.  There  he  divided  his  army  into  two 
parts,  one  of  which  he  sent  into  the  streets  of  the  town,  the  other, 
which  he  commanded  in  person,  went  to  take  Fort  Gage,  Avhich 
contained,  as  you  know,  the  garrison  for  the  protection  of  the  terri- 
tory in  this  vicinity.  Both  parties  were  successful  and  again  the 
sovereignty  of  Kaskaskia  changed.  The  flag  of  England  came 
down  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  run  up  in  its  place. 

Thus  it  happened  that  that  little  expedition,  smaller  in  num- 
bers I  have  said  than  a  single  battalion  of  a  modern  infantry  regi- 
ment, conquered  for  the  United  States,  a  vast  empire;  an  empire 
larger  than  the  territory  over  which  the  armies  of  the  civilized 
world  have  been  raging  during  the  last  four  years,  because  after 
the  fall  of  Kaskaskia  it  was  made  possible  for  him  to  go  on  farther 
up  and  seize  Vincennes,  and  in  that  way  this  vast  Northwest  was 
added  first  to  the  domain  of  Virginia,  afterwards  to  the  Territory 
of  the  United  States. 

We  are  indeed  on  historic  ground.  I  never  come  to  Chester 
that  I  do  not  feel  under  the  spell  of  those  early  days  as  I  cannot 
feel  anywhere  else  within  our  borders.  Upon  this  great  bluff 
whereon  we  stand  today,  you  have  a  view  across  the  Father  of 
Waters,  and  over  the  fields  on  the  other  shore  you  have  sweeping 
in  from  every  side  the  memories  of  more  than  two  hundred  years 
of  civilization.  I  never  come  here  that  I  do  not  resolve  that  at 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  227 

some  time  in  my  life  I  will  come  and  spend  a  few  days;  I  want 
to  come  here  and  examine  at  leisure  the  priceless  records  which 
are  contained  within  your  vaults  in  your  court  house,  and  to  study 
anew  and  to  dream  over  the  early  beginnings  of  what  I  believe  to 
be  the  greatest  State  in  the  entire  union  of  states. 

So,  my  friends,  it  is  not  only  fitting  that  we  should  be  here 
today,  it  is  not  only  doubly  fitting  that  we  should  have  selected 
our  natal  day  for  this  celebration,  but  it  is  peculiarly  appropriate 
that  we  should  be  gathered  here  in  territory  above  which  have 
floated  at  different  times,  not  only  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  but  also 
the  English  flag  and  the  French  flag,  because  those  three  flags  to- 
day are  flying  side  by  side  on  the  greatest  battle  line  of  history, 
facing  a  common  foe,  a  foe  not  only  of  the  three  countries  which 
those  flags  symbolize,  but  a  foe  to  all  mankind,  a  foe  to  civilization 
everywhere  the  wide  world  round. 

When  this  war  commenced  there  were  many  of  our  people  who 
could  not  understand  all  that  it  meant.  There  were  those  among 
us  who  said,  "The  war  is  three  thousand  miles  away,"  and  so  it 
seemed  at  that  time.  We  who  loved  peace,  who  have  become  ac- 
customed to  peace,  could  hardly  believe  that  a  nation  in  this  twen- 
tieth century  of  the  Christian  era  should  start  out  to  conquer  the 
world,  should  set  out  to  terrorize  the  world  with  practices  of 
f rightf ulness  such  as  the  world  had  never  seen ;  but  as  we  followed 
the  armies  of  the  Central  Empires  across  the  Belgian  frontier,  we 
found  that  they  had  been  frankly  telling  the  truth  when  they 
taught  for  a  half  a  century  that  nations  are  above  the  moral  law, 
and  that  no  ethical  consideration  binds  them  to  their  plighted 
word.  They  had  solemnly  guaranteed  the  neutrality  of  Belgium, 
and  yet,  referring  to  the  treaty  in  which  they  made  that  guarantee 
as  but  a  scrap  of  paper,  their  hosts  swept  across  upon  the  people 
of  poor  little  unoffending  Belgium.  Then  we  began  to  see  that  a 
nation  that  had  set  out  upon  this  career  of  conquest,  threatened 
us,  our  independence,  our  security,  as  it  threatened  all  the  rest 
of  the  world.  This  war,  "three  thousand  miles  away!"  I  want 
to  tell  you,  my  friends,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  I  believe  this 
war  is  nearer  to  our  hearts  and  our  hearthstones  than  any  war  in 
all  our  past. 


228  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

We  have  had  great  wars  before.  There  are  those  here  today 
who  wear  the  little  bronze  button  that  signifies  another  great  war 
that  we  in  this  country  had  fought.  I  want  to  tell  you  that,  dark 
as  were  the  days  during  the  early  part  of  that  war,  there  was  never 
a  moment  when  it  meant  as  much  to  the  people  of  this  land  as  this 
war  which  is  raging  around  the  world  today.  Because,  at  that 
time,  no  matter  which  side  had  won  there  would  have  been  some 
kind  of  a  country  left  for  the  people  of  the  North  as  of  the  South. 
We  of  the  North  believed  that  that  country,  if  we  had  lost,  would 
have  been  fragmentary  and  incomplete.  We  know  that  it  would 
have  fallen  far  short  of  its  glorious  destiny,  but  there  would  have 
been  some  country  left  which  we  could  have  called  our  own.  There 
would  have  been  some  part  of  this  continent  above  which  would 
have  floated  the  American  flag,  some  place  where  we  could  have 
found  a  home;  but  if  this  war  in  which  we  are  engaged  today 
should  go  against  us,  which  God  forbid,  we  will  not  even  have  a 
fragment  of  a  country  left,  because  every  foot  of  our  land  will  be 
under  the  iron  heel  of  Prussian  military  despotism  forevermore 
so  far  as  man  can  see.  There  will  be  no  place  we  can.  call  our 
home.  There  will  be  no  room  in  all  the  sky  for  the  American  flag, 
or  for  any  other  banner  of  liberty,  because  this  war  is  the  final 
battle  between  the  powers  of  autocracy  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
powers  of  self-government  on  the  other.  That  is  not  a  new  battle. 
It  has  raged  in  all  the  centuries  at  some  place  or  another.  It  is 
the  old  war  between  God-given  right  of  man  to  rule  himself  or 
the  divine  right  of  kings,  so-called,  to  impose  slavery  upon  all  the 
world.  It  is  the  old  battle.  Heretofore  that  battle  has  been 
limited  to  one  land,  to  one  scene  of  action,  to  one  theatre  of  war; 
but  today  all  the  nations  of  the  globe  are  involved.  That  battle  is 
flaming  all  about  the  world.  Upon  the  one  hand  are  those  forces 
which  believe  that  mankind  is  incapable  of  governing  itself;  upon 
the  other  all  the  forces  which  have  faith  in  the  worthiness,  in  the 
dignity,  in  the  ability  of  man  everywhere  to  captain  his  own  soul. 

When  this  war  is  over  all  the  earth  will  be  one  thing  or  the 
other.  All  the  world  will  be  free,  or  all  the  world  will  rest  beneath 
the  power  of  the  cannon  and  the  sword  for  at  least  a  thousand  years. 
That  is  the  issue  which  is  involved  in  this  struggle,  and  that  is 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  229 

why  on  this  Fourth  of  July  people  are  gathering  as  they  have  never 
gathered  before  on  our  National  Birthday  to  read  again  the  mighty 
truths  contained  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  to  re- 
solve anew  that  at  whatever  cost  of  men  or  money,  we  will  carry 
on  this  war  for  democracy,  for  humanity,  for  civilization,  aye,  for 
religion,  until  we  shall  have  driven  forever  the  black  flag  which 
Prussian  autocracy  has  run  up,  from  the  sky  of  all  the  world. 

The  Fourth  of  July  in  the  past  has  been  our  national  holiday ; 
today  it  is  an  international  holiday.  In  England  wherever  the 
Cross  of  St.  George  flies,  alongside  of  it  are  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
and  men  over  there  are  celebrating  for  the  first  time  that  event 
which  lost  England  her  colonies.  I  want  to  remind  you  that  it 
is  not  as  inappropriate  as  it  might  seem  for  England  to  join  with 
us  in  our  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  because  England  was  not  a 
unit  in  its  war  with  us.  The  greatest  souls  of  England,  Burke, 
Pitt,  Fox,  all  of  their  greatest  men,  were  with  the  colonies,  with 
the  colonies  openly  in  that  war.  They,  too,  were  fighting  in  the 
Parliament  of  England  against  George  the  Third  for  their  own 
liberties,  and  our  triumph  was  really  the  triumph  of  the  people  of 
England.  We  won  not  only  our  own  independence,  but  we  helped 
the  liberty-loving  portion  of  the  British  population  to  enlarge  their 
own  freedom,  and  the  divine  right  of  kings  was  buried  forever  in 
the  grave  with  George  the  Third.  Today  England  is  as  great  a 
democracy.  England  gives  the  same  privileges  to  her  children 
that  we  give  to  ours. 

It  is  fitting,  very  fitting,  that  in  Paris  also  they  are  celebrat- 
ing our  Fourth  of  July,  not  only  because  of  long  friendship,  but 
because  of  the  views  of  her  people  now  and  our  people  now.  Away 
back  in  those  days  which  followed  the  solemn  event  which  in  read- 
ing the  Declaration  of  Independence,  Senator  Magill  has  brought 
so  clearly  to  your  minds  today,  France,  then  it  is  true  a  monarchy, 
sent  LaFayette  to  our  shores  to  assist  us  to  win  our  liberties,  and 
who  can  tell  but  for  the  assistance  of  the  French  soldiers  and 
sailors,  what  the  result  of  our  Revolutionary  War  would  have  been. 

Not  only  did  that  help  us  to  win  our  liberties,  it  helped  France 
again  to  win  hers.  The  Lilies  of  France  which  LaFayette  brought 
across  the  seas,  which  represented  the  Bourbon  dynasty,  were  fol- 


230  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

lowed  in  a  few  years  by  the  French  tri-color,  and  that  banner  speaks 
of  the  equal  rights  of  mankind  just  as  eloquently  as  does  our  own, 
or  as  does  the  modern  Cross  of  St.  George. 

Our  Kevolution,  therefore,  not  only  brought  independence  to 
America,  but  under  its  indirect  influence  it  helped  the  great  liberty 
loving  statesmen  of  England  to  become  masters  of  her  future.  It 
enabled  France  to  throw  off  its  tyranny  and  to  erect  in  its  stead  a 
republic.  As  these  three  flags  have  floated,  one  after  another  above 
old  Fort  Gage,  a  few  miles  from  your  door,  so  they  have  influenced 
one  another  from  the  dawning  of  our  history,  until  today  all  three, 
representing  the  God  given  inalienable  rights  of  man  as  against 
the  spurious  divine  right  of  kings,  have  a  right,  standing  for  the 
same  great  things,  to  float  side  by  side  on  the  Western  front. 

You  of  Eandolph  County,  you  for  one  hundred  and  forty 
years — an  even  one  hundred  and  forty  years — have  lived  secure 
and  free  and  independent  underneath  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  so  I 
can  understand  the  sacrifices  which  you  are  making.  I  can  under- 
stand the  spirit  of  this  meeting,  because  you  know  that  now  the 
final  assault  upon  the  independence  and  upon  the  supremacy  of  that 
flag  is  being  made  along  the  most  stupendous  battle  fronts  of  his- 
tory. Oh,  my  friends,  nothing  matters  unless  we  win  this  war. 
I  can't  understand,  to  save  my  life,  how  people  can  at  this  time 
give  any  thought  to  any  consideration  of  all  the  future  beyond 
the  winning  of  this  war.  If  we  do  not  win  it,  the  future  matters 
not  to  any  of  us.  If  we  should  lose,  if  we  should  come  under  the 
domination  of  the  Imperial  Court  at  Berlin,  then  I  say,  and  I  say 
with  all  soberness,  that  the  only  Americans  to  be  envied  are  those 
who  are  filling  foreign  graves  and  who  have  given  up  their  lives 
that  our  country  may  live.  Bather,  infinitely  rather,  should  any 
man  who  loves  his  wife  or  child,  prefer  to  sleep  among  the  flowers 
of  Flanders  or  France  than  to  survive  this  war  unless  we  shall 
win  a  victory  before  it  ends. 

I  have  seen  a  lot  of  your  boys ;  I  have  seen  boys  from  all  over 
the  State,  because  it  has  been  a  part  of  my  duty  to  visit  the  camps 
where  Illinois  boys  are  stationed.  I  have  seen  the  wonderful  im- 
provement that  those  boys  have  made  from  week  to  week.  As  I 
have  looked  into  their  clear  eyes  and  upstanding  figures  I  have 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  231 

felt  a  thrill  of  pride  in  Illinois  I  had  not  known  before,  because  I 
want  to  tell  you  that  your  honor  and  your  future  are  safe  in  the 
hands  of  those  young  men.  If  you  could  only  see  them  as  I  have 
seen  them  you  would  have  no  feeling  of  surprise  at  the  news  which 
conies  from  that  portion  of  the  battlefront  held  by  American 
soldiers.  Our  men  fight  not  only  with  their  brawn,  but  they  fight 
with  their  brains.  They  fight  in  the  knowledge  that  they  are 
fighting  for  the  dearest  things  in  all  the  world;  and  that  makes 
an  army  invincible  when  brute  force  fails. 

I  want  also  to  say  to  the  mothers,  because  the  mothers  always 
have  the  hardest  part,  that  you  need  have  no  fear  for  your  boys. 
They  go  proudly,  they  go  happily;  they  know  that  even  though 
they  fall  their  life  will  be  more  rounded  and  complete,  will  be  a 
finer  life  in  every  way  than  though  in  piping  times  of  peace  they 
had  lived  a  half  a  century  more. 

You  need  not  fear  for  the  conduct  of  those  boys,  I  want  to 
tell  the  mothers.  The  other  day  I  received  a  paper  published  by 
our  expeditionary  forces  in  France,  and  found  that  the  main  item 
of  interest  in  the  life  of  our  soldiers  at  the  front  today  is  adopting 
some  little  orphan  boy  or  girl  of  some  patriot  who  has  given  up 
his  life  for  liberty.  Different  companies,  different  individuals, 
are  saving  from  their  salary  in  order  that  they  may  raise  a  fund 
to  take  care  of  those  little  boys  and  girls  of  sacred  France.  When 
your  boys  are  thinking  about  the  orphan  children  of  our  Allies, 
they  are  not  going  to  do  anything  to  disgrace  you  in  their  conduct 
in  any  way.  I  want  to  tell  you  they  are  safe. 

We  won't  have  as  many  young  men  when  this  war  is  over,  but 
we  will  have  a  finer  lot  of  young  men  than  we  have  ever  had  in 
our  past. 

Just  one  other  thought,  then  I  am  going  to  close.  You  know, 
things  were  not  going  very  well  with  us  before  the  war.  We  were 
getting  to  be  a  very  selfish  people;  we  were  thinking  of  material 
things  only.  Discipline  was  breaking  down  everywhere,  breaking 
down  in  the  home,  in  the  school  and  in  the  church,  aye!  and  in 
the  nation.  We  were  getting  to  look  upon  our  citizenship  as  of 
no  special  value ;  we  were  coming  to  regard  it  as  something  which 
imposed  duties  upon  the  country  toward  us,  and  no  duties  upon  us 


232  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

toward  our  country.  We  were  becoming  very  fond  of  the  flesh- 
pots.  The  old  idea  of  brotherhood  which  your  fathers  and  fore- 
fathers in  the  days  of  old  Fort  Gage  knew  so  well  was  in  some  way 
slipping  away  from  us.  The  old  ideas  of  neighborliness  which  we 
knew  when  the  country  was  newer  were  disappearing.  We  were 
living  within  ourselves  too  much.  The  Master's  definition  of  who 
are  neighbors  had  entirely  escaped  us  so  far  as  our  practice  went. 
Maybe  this  war  was  needed.  At  any  rate  I  see  a  new  light  shin- 
ing in  the  eyes  of  the  men  and  women,  aye !  and  the  boys  and  the 
girls  of  today  that  I  have  not  seen  for  years.  We  were  thinking 
too  much  of  the  things  that  you  touch  and  handle  and  too  little 
of  the  spiritual  things  of  the  world,  and  now  that  we  are  engaged 
in  a  conflict  in  which  the  material  threatens  to  overwhelm  all  the 
spiritual  forces  of  the  universe,  we  are  having  a  revival  in  our 
hearts  and  minds  of  the  old  ideals  which  our  fathers  and  our 
mothers  taught  us  and  believed.  When  this  war  is  over  I  have 
the  faith  to  believe  with  all  my  heart  that  we  are  going  to  have  a 
better  country  and  a  better  civilization  than  we  have  had  in  all 
our  past.  I  believe  that  under  the  providence  of  God  we  shall 
not  have  made  these  sacrifices  in  vain.  I  believe,  just  as  I  know 
that  victory  must  finally  come  to  our  armies  because  there  is  still 
a  God  in  the  Heavens,  so  do  I  believe  with  equal  faith  that  when 
the  war  is  over  we  are  going  to  have  a  better  world  than  we  have 
had  in  all  the  past. 

To  you  people  of  this  historic  old  county,  one  of  the  few  above 
which  have  floated  in  succession  these  three  great  flags  of  de- 
mocracy, to  you,  who  are  the  favored  above  most  of  the  people  of 
our  State,  I  think  I  can  say,  Illinois,  which  is  just  closing  a 
century  of  glorious  history  in  this  Centennial  year  here,  and  in 
the  first  years  of  her  second  century,  is  going  to  be  worthy  of  her 
historic  past. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  233 

THE  FREEING  OF  ILLINOIS 

BY   WALLACE   BICE 

Where  brims  the  broad  Ohio  as  it  foams  adown  the  Falls 

Our  Long  Knives  haste,  grim,  iron-faced,  when  free  Vir- 
ginia calls ; 

Kentucky's  here  on  her  frontier  with  tall  men  lean  and 
dark 

And,  best  of  all  for  desperate  work,  their  chief,  George 
Rogers  Clark. 

Beyond  the  broad  Ohio  lie  the  lands  of  Illinois 

Whence  British  bribes  send  savage  tribes  to  ravage  and 

destroy. 
As  fierce  allies  they  gain  supplies,  run  forth  to  scalp  and 

slay 
Our    settlers,    women,    youth,    and    babes,    in    merciless 

affray. 

Across  the  broad  Ohio  come  our  frontiersmen  and  Fate. 
No  martial  pride"  struts  at  their  side,  but  Liberty  elate 
Smiles  in  their  eyes  as  on  the  skies  fair  Freedom's  banner, 

blows, 
The  starry  sign  of  victory  o'er  tyrants  and  their  woes. 

Along  the  summer  prairies  green  with  grasses  tall  and 

sweet 
Our  sevenscore  men,  sevenscore  and  ten,  march  on  with 

flying  feet, 
A  thousand  miles  between  their  files  and  their  Virginian 

leas, 
A  hundred  miles  and  twenty  to  the  fortress  they  must 

seize. 

Six  days  along  the  prairie  speed  our  hardy  bordermen 
They  lose  their  way — lose  near  a  day  in  finding  it  again ; 
And  rest  their  flight  that  July  night  when,  only  two  years 

gone, 
The  great  bell  boomed  to  tell  the   world  of  Freedom 

marching  on. 


234  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

On  Independence  Night  they  bring  Kaskaskia  in  view. 
Before  them  lies  upon  the  rise  Fort  Gage  against  the 

blue— 
A  fort  whose  name's  a  thing  of  shame  borne  late  in 

Boston  Town 
By  him  who  ordered  murder  at  Old  Concord  for  the 

Crown. 

Over  the  evening  river  Clark  is  ferried  with  his  band. 
With  silent  stride  they  quick  divide  when  once  they  gain 

the  land, 

Himself  to  creep  upon  the  keep,  and  find  the  postern  gate 
TJngarded.     Black  the  entrance,  but  he  does  not  hesitate. 

Upon  the  astonished  commandant,  that  grey  French  rene- 
gade 

Kocheblave  by  name,  with  his  shrewd  dame,  Clark  comes 
with  shining  blade. 

He  curses  Clark;  and  strikes  a  spark,  for  out  he  goes  in 
chains. 

A  prison  in  Virginia  he  gets  for  all  his  pains. 

Meanwhile  our  bold  frontiersmen  surge  on  down  the  vill- 
age street. 

They  take  it  hot  without  a  shot  in  overthrow  complete ; 

And  then  apace  they  gain  the  grace  of  matron,  maid,  and 
man — 

France  then,  as  now,  is  faithful  friend ;  when  was  a  better 
plan? 

To  loud  huzzas  our  drummers  drum  and  every  fifer  pipes 

As  down  they  drag  the  British  flag  and  hoist  the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

Forever  freed  by  Clark's  bold  deed  from  tyrants  over- 
blown 

These  lovely  lands  of  Illinois  become  Virginia's  own. 


235 

ADDRESS  OF  GOVERNOR  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN  AT  FORT 
GAGE  HILL,  JULY  FOURTH,  1918 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  This  is  indeed  historic  ground  on 
which  we  stand.  While  the  main  exercises  of  the  day  were  held 
at  Chester,  it  is  exceedingly  appropriate  that  we  should  pause 
here  long  enough  on  this  beautiful  afternoon  to  pay  our  little 
tribute  to  the  pioneers  of  Kaskaskia  in  this  great  American  bottom. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  of  Illinois  to  realize  that  our  written 
history  extends  so  far  back.  It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  long 
before  George  Washington  was  born  we  had  a  civilized  and  well 
ordered  and  happy  and  a  joyous  community  within  our  border, 
and  yet,  that  is  the  fact.  It  is  difficult  for  us  to  realize  the 
heroism  of  the  men  who  founded  these  first  towns  and  villages  in 
Illinois — Joliet,  Marquette,  LaSalle  and  Tonti.  In  fact,  there 
never  has  been  a  braver,  a  more  heroic,  nor  a  more  unselfish  band 
of  pioneers  than  the  pioneers  we  associate  with  Illinois'  earliest 
history. 

The  motive  of  the  first  was  to  bring  the  blessings  of  Chris- 
tianity to  the  savages  who  then  inhabited  Illinois,  and  just  as  in 
those  far  off  days,  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  the  motive 
of  the  first  visitors  to  Kaskaskia  was  humane,  unselfish  and  for  the 
benefit  of  others,  so  it  is  fitting  that  at  this  time  we  should  cele- 
brate their  virtues  when  their  descendants  are  engaged  again  in  a 
war,  not  for  themselves,  but  for  others,  and  it  is  in  the  spirit  of 
Father  Marquette,  of  Joliet,  of  LaSalle,  of  Tonti,  and  of  many 
others  I  might  name,  that  more  than  a  million  of  our  men  today 
are  across  the  seas  fighting  under  the  allied  banners  of  the  three 
lands  which  have  at  one  time  or  another  held  jurisdiction  over  old 
Kaskaskia. 

It  is  a  great  story  as  well  as  a  beautiful  one.  I  like  to  think 
of  the  long-ago  days  when  life  was  bright  and  full  and  free  in 
Kaskaskia.  I  like  to  think  of  that  visit  of  Lafayette  when  he  came 
down  the  river  and  disembarked  at  Kaskaskia,  and  when  he  was  met 
by  the  son  of  his  old  friend  and  comrade,  Alexander  Hamilton, 
who  had  been  sent  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  to  give  welcome 
to  the  old  friend  of  his  father.  I  like  to  think  of  the  hours  that 
he  spent  here,  and  one  of  the  most  delightful  stories  in  all  our 


236  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

annals  is  the  story  that  the  writers  of  that  time  give  of  Lafayette's 
visit. 

The  romance  that  shines  in  Illinois  history  more  largely 
centers  about  this  spot  whereon  we  stand  today  than  any  other 
spot  within  the  borders  of  our  State.  And  as  we  today  are  cele- 
brating the  close  of  one  glorious  century  of  Statehood  in  Illinois, 
let  us  have  the  confidence  that  with  the  aid  of  our  boys  across  the 
sea,  we  are  going  to  conquer  the  perils  that  beset  us  and  embark 
upon  another  century  of  equal  glory  and  of  equal  usefulness  to  the 
world. 


KASKASKIA:     AN  ODE 

BY  WALLACE  KICE 

Read  by  Frederick  Bruegger  at  the  Pioneer  Cemetery,  Fort  Gage 

Hill,  Randolph  County,  July  4,  1918. 
How  weak,  how  futile,  seem  mere  words  today 

When  every  swing  of  Fate's  great  pendulum 
Beats  to  the  roar  of  giant  guns  'neath  grey 

Astonished  heavens  thunderous  and  grum ! 
How  idle,  words,  when  hour  by  hour  such  deeds 

Of  courage  and  self-sacrifice  cry  out 
As  draw  our  wondering  tears,  and  throbs  and  bleeds 

The  Nation's  spirit  in  our  warriors'  shout! 
Along  the  seas,  where  coward  murderers  hide, 

Our  sailors  steadfastly  keep  open  path; 
On  desperate  miles  our  soldiers  constant  bide, 

The  instruments  of  God's  Eternal  Wrath; 
And  we  speak  words!     Yet  they  are  words  of  cheer. 

Beyond,  tho'  ruined  now  and  desolate, 
Sleeps  old  Kaskaskia,  and  we  shall  hear 

Of  destiny  thro'  this  evangel  of  our  State. 

The  urgent  Mississippi  round  her  rolls 

Adown  this  Valley  of  a  Continent. 
Herein  today  how  many  a  million  souls 

Are  reaping  generous  harvests  of  content ! 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  237 

The  gift  of  summer  sun  and  rippling  flow 

Thro'  fruitful  hours  of  free  men's  willing  toil, 
The  comfort  of  the  world  is  in  this  glow 

From  league  on  league  of  fructifying  soil. 
See  how  the  emerald  plumes  of  corn  unfold 

Bring  in  their  satisfying  sheen  and  swing, 
Forthgrowing  fair  from  tiny  grains  of  gold 

In  nature's  miracle  of  bourgeoning; 
But  yonder  was  a  greater  marvel  wrought 

By  friendliness  and  spiritual  health 
Where  honor,  chivalry,  and  truth  were  taught 

And  lived  by  the  forefathers  of  our  Commonwealth. 

Look  up  and  down  our  Valley's  visioning; 

Gaze  east  and  west  with  comprehending  eyes ! 
Northward  our  inland  waters  lilt  and  sing; 

And  south  the  Gulf  is  blue  'neath  tropic  skies; 
Far  to  the  east  vast  mountain  ranges  stay 

The  Valley;  toward  the  sunset  its  arrest 
Is  on  the  snow-clad  peaks  a  world  away ; 

How  glorious  a  growth  is  here,  how  blest! 
On  multitudinous  plains  between,  which  smile 

Upon  the  affluents  of  the  river  there, 
The  hopes  of  all  the  world  have  domicile : 

Men  for  its  war-hosts,  bread  to  lighten  care. 
A  score  of  States  now  rise,  of  queenly  mien, 

Sacredly  sworn  to  do  their  utmost  deed. 
For  Liberty — from  Illinois  demesne 

Arise,  for  on  yon  isle  was  sown  their  single  seed. 

In  kindliness,  to  dull  the  edge  of  war, 

Kaskaskia  was  born  beside  the  stream. 
Athwart  the  terrors  these  broad  prairies  bore 

The  Cross  sent  thence  its  mild  compelling  gleam. 
There,  first  in  all  this  Valley,  on  those  leas 

Our  race  found  resting  place  for  wandering  feet. 


238  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Worshipped  our  God  and  published  His  decrees 

Thro'  lengthening  years,  and  peace  was  lasting,  sweet. 
There  lay  the  city,  now  in  ruin  laid 

And  all  its  beauty  fled  and  far  away, 
Wherein  the  Valley  saw  the  prelude  played 

To  its  tremendous  drama.     Tho'  astray, 
The  world  comes  back  to  confidence  in  God 

And  Man,  finding  here  inspiration  sure 
For  faith  renewed  while  passing  'neath  His  rod, 

Leaving  our  heavenly  hope  and  human  trust  secure. 

The  fathers  of  our  Illinois  lie  here 

Beside  us,  gratefully  remembered  still. 
High  their  devotion,  free  their  hearts  from  fear, 

Earnest  their  wish  to  know  and  keep  God's  Will. 
Homely  their  virtues,  arduous  their  hours 

Of  labor,  but  its  fruits  and  flowers  were  theirs; 
Greed  and  injustice  and  a  despot's  powers 

Theirs  to  despise,  and  heard  their  simple  prayers. 
For  poverty  they  knew  devoid  of  dread  despair, 

Concordant  spirits  touching  happiness, 
With  little  mirths  and  gayeties  to  share 

In  freedom  from  the  greater  world's  distress. 
Give  them  all  honor!     Far  from  their  own  land 

Their  profitable  lives  on  history's  page 
They  wrote  without  repining,  and  shall  stand 

Blessed  thro'  all  time  by  us  who  hold  their  heritage. 

Eomance  shone  here  in  many  a  deed  and  name. 

LaSalle  and  Tonti  o'er  those  waters  wend, 
Discoverer  and  statesman  crowned  by  fame, 

Not  least  because  he  won  so  true  a  friend. 
Then  Seventeen  Hundred  dawned.     Good  Pere  Marest 

Eose  with  it.     This  was  centuries  ago. 
The  Illini  flock  hitherward  to  pray, 

Hearing  The  Word,  and  safe  from  every  foe. 
A  pleasant  scene  it  was,  now  worn  so  bare : 

The  virgin  forest  virgin  prairie  met 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  239 

Below,  with  swaying  trees  in  summer  air 

And  fragrant  flowers  in  tossing  grasses  set; 
With  nuts  and  fruits  and  berries  ruby  bright, 

The  bison  and  his  herds,  the  elk  and  deer, 
Carolling  birds — 'twas  peace  with  plenty  dight, 

An  earthly  paradise  upon  a  far  frontier. 

The  thirst  for  gold,  the  search  for  sudden  gain, 

The  Mississippi  Bubble  and  its  lures, 
Hunger  for  empire,  and  old  Slavery's  pain, 

Here  frowned,  here  passed,  where  Time  alone  endures. 
Hereby  the  royal  walls  of  Fort  de  Chartres 

Set  forth  the  slender  stage  whereon  we  see 
Eeflected  ray  by  glittering  ray  the  part 

The  Sun-King  played  of  radiant  majesty. 
Thence  D'Artaguette  his  piteous  army  leads, 

De  Villier  goes  to  conquer  Washington; 
And  Braddock  falls,  what  time  Kaskaskia  speeds 

Her  silvery  lance  toward  the  rising  sun. 
Then,  then  at  last  the  fluttering  flag  of  France 

Falls,  as  may  sink  the  day  adown  the  west, 
And  gone  our  Golden  Age  and  old  romance, 

To  rise  in  this  new  morning  with  new  meaning  dressed. 

How  distant  seems  today  the  gleeful  France 

That  danced  so  long  ago  to  melodies 
Upon  yon  sward,  as  tho'  fond  circumstance 

Found  in  this  newer  West  Hesperides ! 
Yet  golden  lilies  here  our  hearts  rejoice, 

Smiling  to  azure  heavens  as  of  yore, 
And  wistfully  reechoes  here  the  voice 

Of  the  unconquered  France  whom  we  adore, 
Our  Mother  still,  else  were  we  motherless. 

Here  o'er  an  empire  ruled  her  brave  and  fair; 
A  jewel  in  a  jocund  wilderness 

Their  capital — yon  village  now  laid  bare. 
A  promise  was  it,  and  a  Providence, 

With  every  memory  ringing  sound  and  true. 


240 

How  loyally  and  with  what  reverence 
This  venerable  fealty  we  here  renew 

A  while,  a  little  while,  old  Britain  comes 

A  conqueror  here  and  floats  her  bannered  flame 
Until  Virginia  rolls  victorious  drums 

As  "Liberty  I"  her  frontiersmen  proclaim ! 
The  Northwest  here  is  made  American 

Forever,  as  Fate  thunders  slowly  on; 
Tho'  only  now  discerned  the  Almighty's  Plan 

Enfolded  in  these  ages  we  thought  gone : 
Dead  is  the  day  when  Tyranny  and  Hate 

Can  Britain  and  her  free  descendants  part 
Or  France  from  England  hold — how  brave  the  Fate 

Uniting  as  one  country  with  one  heart 
The  untainted  origins  of  Illinois ! 

The  tyrants  on  the  Thames  and  by  the  Seine 
Time's  slow  inevitable  hands  destroy, 

And  there,  as  here,  today  the  sovran  people  reign. 

Here,  on  this  distant  and  secluded  sod — 

In  little,  purposes  the  greatest  run — 
We  see  the  everlasting  arm  of  God 

Guarding  the  empires  that  lost  here,  and  won. 
Virginia's  word,  the  war-cry  of  the  free, 

"Thus  ever  unto  tyrants !"  trumpets  far 
Across  the  seas  to  herald  Victory. 

And  eyes  war-weary  glimpse  the  morning  star. 
To  thrust  a  maddened  monster  to  his  knee, 

Her  swift  blade  drawn  and  scabbard  thrown  away 
Staunchly  beside  us  battles  Italy. 

Who  gave  us  Tonti  in  our  dawn  of  day. 
And  we,  to  whom  our  Illinois  is  dear, 

Hail  all  these  ancient  friends  with  newer  pride 
In  the  Great  Cause  that  casteth  out  all  fear, 

Our  God's  Eternal  Cause  in  Freedom's  glorified. 


THE  CENTENARY  OF  THE  PROMULGATION  OF  THE 

FIRST  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  STATE  OF 

ILLINOIS,  AUGUST  26,  1918 

The  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the  first 
Constitution  of  Illinois,  was  held  at  Springfield  on  August  26, 
1918,  and  was  a  memorable  occasion.  Thousands  of  people  from 
all  sections  of  the  State  came  to  Springfield  to  participate  in  the 
celebration  and  the  only  drawback  to  the  complete  enjoyment  of  the 
day  was  the  fact  that  it  was  possible  for  only  a  portion  of  the 
enormous  crowd  of  visitors  to  get  within  hearing  distance  of  the 
speakers  at  the  afternoon  meeting  or  to  get  inside  the  Coliseum  at 
the  Fair  Grounds  in  the  evening  to  see  the  presentation  of  "The 
Masque  of  Illinois/' 

However,  more  than  twelve  thousand  people  crowded  into  the 
Amphitheater  at  the  afternoon  meeting  to  hear  Theodore  Eoose- 
velt,  and  at  least  eight  thousand  were  accommodated  in  the  Coli- 
seum in  the  evening. 

A  luncheon  was  given  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  at  noon  which 
was  attended  by  Governor  Lowden,  Colonel  Eoosevelt  and  several 
hundred  officials  and  guests. 

Former  President  Eoosevelt  was  the  principal  speaker  at  the 
afternoon  meeting  and  he  delivered  a  rousing  patriotic  address. 
He  was  introduced  briefly  by  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden,  who 
called  attention  to  the  significance  of  the  occasion.  Bishop  Samuel 
Fallows  delivered  the  invocation.  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  chairman 
of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  called  the  meeting  to  order 
and  spoke  briefly  in  introducing  Governor  Lowden,  who  presided. 

The  presentation  of  Mr.  Eice's  "Masque  of  Illinois/'  in  the 
evening  was  most  elaborate  and  the  immense  audience  was  greatly 
pleased  with  the  production.  Colonel  Eoosevelt  praised  the  cast, 
Frederick  Bruegger,  the  pageant  master,  Edward  C.  Moore,  com- 
poser, and  Mr.  Eice,  the  author,  very  highly  and  declared  the 
"Masque"  one  of  the  most  interesting  entertainments  of  the  kind 
he  had  ever  seen. 

Mrs.  Eoosevelt  accompanied  Colonel  Eoosevelt  to  Springfield 
and  attended  the  evening  performance. 

241 
—16  C  C 


242  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Miss  Florence  Lowden,  daughter  of  Governor  Frank  0. 
Lowden,  acted  the  part  of  "Illinois/'  and  a  cast  composed  of  promi- 
nent Springfield  and  Central  Illinois  people  had  the  leading  parts. 

Groups  were  furnished  by  organizations  and  altogether  more 
than  a  thousand  persons  participated.  A  huge  stage,  ninety  feet 
across  was  erected  at  the  west  end  of  the  Coliseum  and  seats  were 
arranged  for  eight  thousand  persons  in  the  audience. 

The  stage  was  covered  with  green  boughs  and  carpeted  in 
green  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a  woodland  scene. 

A  great  deal  of  praise  is  due  Mr.  Frederick  Bruegger,  pageant 
master,  and  Mrs.  Bruegger  who  ably  assisted  him,  for  the  efficient 
manner  in  which  they  trained  the  great  cast  for  this  presentation, 
and  for  the  repetition  of  "The  Masque"  in  October. 

In  introducing  Governor  Lowden  as  the  chairman  of  the  day 
Dr.  Schmidt  said: 

"One  hundred  years  ago  in  vanished  Kaskaskia  a  score  of 
chosen  representatives  of  the  people  were  collected  to  enact  a  dec- 
laration of  principles  under  whose  bounds  and  injunctions  this 
commonwealth  of  Illinois  was  to  be  organized  and  to  live. 

Though  many  important  principles  for  the  government  of 
the  new  state  were  fixed  by  the  Articles  of  the  old  Xorthwest  Ordi- 
nance of  1787,  and  by  the  laws  of  the  Union  of  the  States,  wide 
limits  notwithstanding  were  given  to  these  pioneer  constitution 
makers  to  mold  the  course  of  statehood.  It  was  theirs  to  choose 
between  a  rigid  form  of  a  non-progressive  government  and  one  re- 
flecting the  then  advancing  political  ideals.  Today  is  the  centenary 
of  the  happy  completion  of  their  labors  by  their  adoption  of  the 
first  Constitution  of  Illinois.  We  are  here  in  grateful  acknowledge- 
ment of  their  work  well  done. 

"Through  that  Constitution,  for  the  duties  of  the  chief 
executive  of  Illinois  a  first  governor — an  able  man — was  elected. 
Through  one  hundred  years  Illinois  has  been  served  faithfully  by 
his  successors,  but  by  none  with  more  patriotism,  with  more  de- 
votion, with  more  efficiency  than  the  present  incumbent,  the  well- 
beloved  leader  of  all  true  Illinoisans,  who  will  address  you  and 
be  the  chairman  of  the  meeting.  I  have  the  honor  of  introduc- 
ing Governor  Lowden  as  Chairman. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  243 

In  introducing  Colonel  Eoosevelt,  Governor  Lowden  spoke 
briefly  as  follows: 

"A  hundred  years  ago  at  almost  this  very  hour,  the  people  of 
the  little  village  of  Kaskaskia,  the  then  capital  of  the  State,  cele- 
arated  the  adoption  of  our  first  Constitution.  The  great  question 
that  involved  the  discussion,  which  preceeded  the  adoption  of  that 
Constitution  was  slavery.  Slavery  was  finally  prohibited.  The 
rights  of  all  men  therefore  were  the  chief  subjects  in  controversy 
jven  at  that  early  date.  In  the  hundred  years  of  our  glorious 
listory  that  since  have  come,  the  high  peaks  have  always  been 
;hose  points  about  which  a  discussion  over  the  rights  of  man  has 
;aken  place.  Today  as  we  celebrate  our  hundredth  anniversary, 
;he  whole  world  is  aflame  over  the  same  question  of  human  rights 
is  against  the  claim  of  privilege.  Whether  or  not  our  next  cen- 
;ury  shall  be  as  replete  with  achievements  and  progress  as  of  the 
>ast,  depends  upon  whether  or  not  we  shall  win  this  mighty  war. 

"Today  it  is  fitting — it  is  more  fitting  than  anything  else 
[  could  name — that  the  greatest  of  all  American  partisans  of  the 
ights  of  common  man,  the  average  man,  should  be  here  to  bring 
lis  message  at  the  close  of  our  first  hundred  years  and  at  the  open- 
ng  of  the  second. 

"It  is  my  great  privilege  and  my  honor  to  introduce  to  you  a 
>rivate  citizen  who  has  held  the  most  exalted  position  in  all  the 
vorld  and  yet  who,  as  a  private  citizen,  reigns  in  the  hearts  of 
he  American  people  as  he  never  reigned  before. 

Colonel  Eoosevelt  received  a  great  ovation  and  he  delivered  a 
dgorous  address  on  patriotic  and  historical  lines. 


ADDRESS  BY  COLONEL  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 

Governor  Lowden,  Mr.  Chairman,  Bishop  Fallows,  and  you, 
ny  Fellow  Americans,  Men  and  Women  of  Illinois:  I  am 
lonored  by  the  chance  to  speak  to  you  today.  And,  friends,  on 
his  occasion  of  the  Centennial  of  Illinois'  admission  to  statehood, 
t  is  a  matter  of  good  augury  that  we  speak  under  a  governor  whom 
ve  all  know  has  deserved  what  Dr.  Schmidt  has  said  of  him.  The 
American  people  will  have  had  a  mighty  triumphant  next  century, 


244 

if,  on  the  occasion  of  the  bi-centenary  of  Illinois,  we  have  such 
public  servants  as  you,  Governor,  to  preside  over  our  destinies. 

Now,  friends,  I  come  here  today  to  speak  primarily  of  the 
things  that  are  closest  to  the  souls  of  all  of  us.  For  this  is  a  great 
crisis  at  which  time  the  men  and  women  of  the  nation  think  not 
of  little  things,  but  of  the  great  fundamental  matters  that  most 
intimately  concern  all  of  us.  We  are  passing  through  the  third 
of  our  great  national  crises.  In  this  case  it  is  a  part  of  a  world 
crisis,  the  like  of  which,  has  never  been  seen  before. 

I  know  that  the  rest  of  you  will  not  begrudge  my  saying  a 
special  word  of  greeting  to  the  men  who  wear  the  button  that 
shows  that  over  half  a  hundred  years  ago  they  showed  their  troth 
by  their  endeavor. 

Now,  men,  we  are  here  today  under  that  flag.  We  are  citi- 
zens of  a  great  and  proud  nation  only  because  those  men  and  the 
men  like  them  in  their  youth  cast  aside  everything  else  for  the 
chance  of  death  in  battle  for  the  right.  As  we  look  back  at  those 
years,  keener  and  brighter  grows  the  fame  of  the  men  who  fought 
for  the  union  and  for  liberty.  And  today  from  throughout  our 
borders  men  in  khaki  have  gone  in  their  youth  to  venture  every- 
thing with  a  proud  and  gallant  recklessness  of  what  may  befall 
them  so  that  you  and  I,  you  men  and  women  here,  that  we  and 
our  children  may  continue  to  hold  our  ideals  high  among  the 
nations. 

I  want  to  say  just  a  word  as  to  the  form  of  advertisements 
which  I  see  here,  "Square  Deal.  Give  us  a  Chance/'  Now, 
friends,  I  regard  one  form  of  advertisement  for  good  causes,  which 
I  see  here  in  Springfield,  just  as  I  have  seen  it  in  New  York. 
There  are  a  dozen  A-l  movements  in  all  of  which  I  am  interested. 
I  am  immensely  interested  in  the  Thrift  Stamp  Saving  Campaign ; 
in  the  Food  Saving  Campaign;  in  the  Conservation  Campaign; 
in  the  Food  Growing  Campaign,  but  I  always  object  strongly 
when  I  see  any  picture  or  any  advertisement  that  "food  will  win 
the  war,"  or  "money  will  win  the  war/'  or  "savings  will  win  the 
war."  Tell  the  truth.  Saving  food  will  help  win  the  war.  Sav- 
ings will  help  win  the  war.  Money  will  help  win  the  war.  But 
the  war  will  be  won,  as  the  war  was  won  at  the  time  of  Abraham 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  245 

Lincoln,  by  the  fighting  men  at  the  front.  Everything  else  is 
only  auxiliary  to  the  fighting  men  at  the  front.  Shame,  triple 
shame  to  us  who  stay  at  home  unless  we  do  all  those  things,  unless 
we  buy  Liberty  Bonds,  buying  to  the  limit,  unless  we  subscribe 
to  the  Eed  Cross  and  all  kindred  organizations,  unless  we  buy 
Thrift  Stamps,  unless  we  save  food.  Do  all  those  things,  but 
don't  get  conceited  about  it.  Eecollect  that  when  you  have  done 
all,  you  have  just  done  a  half  of  what  you  ought  to  do  to  put  your 
strength  back  of  the  men  at  the  front.  Stand  by  the  men  at  the 
front.  And  remember  that  the  only  people  who  have  fulfilled  the 
full  measure  of  their  devotion  to  the  country  at  this  time  are  the 
men  who  have  gone  and  the  women  who  have  bravely  bade  them 
go  to  fight  for  their  country.  There  is  only  one  person  I  put  as 
high  as  I  do  the  soldier  and  that  is  the  soldier's  wife  or  mother 
who  stands  by  him;  she  who  takes  care  of  the  house,  and  takes 
care  of  the  baby,  and  does  whatever  can  be  done  at  home.  If  she 
does  her  full  duty  and  sends  her  husband  or  her  son  away  with 
a  smile,  even  though  her  heart  is  breaking,  and  writes  him  cheer- 
ful messages,  I  respect  her  as  I  respect  the  soldier.  I  have  no  use 
for  the  soldier  who  runs  or  for  the  woman  who  whines.  Eecollect, 
you  women,  that  if  you  make  it  hard  for  your  sons  and  for  your 
husbands,  if  you  fail  in  your  duty,  you  are  acting  just  as  ill  by 
the  country  as  would  the  man  who  fails  his  country  on  the  field 
of  battle.  Bear  yourselves  as  gallantly  as  the  gallant  boys  you 
have  sent  to  the  front.  Eemember  that  is  the  duty  of  all  of  you. 

Now  the  immediate  duty  of  the  hour  is  two-fold.  In  the 
first  place,  to  insist  upon  a  100  per  cent  Americanism  through- 
out this  land.  In  the  next  place,  to  speed  up  the  war  and  win  it 
at  the  earliest  possible  date. 

In  the  first  place  about  Americanism.  This  is  merely  another 
way  of  insisting  that  we  are  a  nation  proud  of  our  history,  proud 
of  our  past  and  proud  of  our  present ;  that  we  are  a  nation,  not  a 
polyglot  boarding  house.  Unless  we  have  a  nation  we  won't  have 
anything  to  fight  for.  Nobody  fights  for  a  boarding  house.  If 
we  treat  this  country  or  permit  it  to  be  treated  as  a  land  into  which 
people  from  thirty  different  old  world  countries  crowd  and  squeal 
and  struggle  for  the  best  place  at  the  trough,  while  all  their  allegi- 


246  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

ance  is  to  some  land  over  seas,  if  we  do  that,  we  have  no  countr} 
at  all.  There  isn't  any  possibility  of  a  divided  allegiance.  Eithe] 
a  man  is  all  American  or  he  is  not  an  American  at  all.  Any  kind 
of  an  alloy  to  loyalty  makes  it  utterly  valueless.  At  this  time  the 
man  of  German  origin  who  says  that  he  is  loyal  to  Germanism,  tc 
Deutschtum,  although  he  is  not  loyal  to  Germany,  to  Deutschland, 
is  making  a  distinction  without  a  difference.  You  cannot  be  loya] 
to  Germanism  and  Americanism  at  the  same  time  any  more  thar 
you  can  be  loyal  to  Germany  and  to  the  United  States  at  the  same 
time.  Germanism  is  incompatible  with  Americanism.  If  a  man 
has  the  slightest  loyalty  to  Germany  at  this  time  he  is  disloyal  to 
the  United  States.  There  is  no  half  way  to  it,  of  any  kind  01 
sort.  It  is  exactly  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War.  You 
had  to  be  all  for  the  Union  or  all  against  the  Union.  If  you 
were  half  Union  and  half  Cecesh,  you  were  kicked  out  by  both 
sides.  Isn't  that  so?  (An  old  soldier:  "Sure.")  It  is  just  the 
same  thing  now.  You  have  got  to  be  all  one  thing  or  all  the  other. 
If  you  live  in  the  United  States  you  are  not  entitled  to  be  anything 
except  an  American,  pure  and  simple,  and  nothing  but  an  Ameri- 
can. If  any  man  still  looks  back  and  wants  to  be  a  half  or  a 
quarter  or  a  tenth  something  or  somewhere  else,  send  him 
back  to  that  somewhere  else.  There  can  be  in  this  country 
loyalty  to  but  one  flag — the  flag  of  the  United  States.  Loyalty  to 
any  other  flag  is  disloyalty  to  that  flag.  And  when  I  say  any 
other  flag,  I  mean  not  only  the  flag  of  any  foreign  nation,  but  I 
mean  the  red  flag  of  anarchy  or  the  black  flag  of  international 
socialism.  If  any  man  follows  the  red  flag  or  the  black  flag  here, 
put  him  out.  Make  him  go  wherever  the  red  flag  or  the  black 
flag  is,  but  don't  let  him  stay  here.  And  more  than  that,  I  want 
to  have  a  man  be  United  States  and  stand  by  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  and  talk  United  States.  I  am  perfectly  well  aware  that 
you  can  talk  United  States  and  still  talk  treason.  At  any  rate 
we  know  what  you  are  talking  about  in  a  case  like  that;  whereas, 
if  you  are  talking  some  language  we  don't  know,  then  you  can 
talk  pretty  much  anything  without  our  knowing  it.  We  have  room 
in  this  country,  permanent  room,  for  but  one  language — the  lan- 
guage of  the  Declaration  of  Independence;  the  language  of  Wash- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  247 

ington's  Farewell  Address;  the  language  of  Lincoln's  Gettysburg 
Speech  and  second  Inaugural — the  English  language.  All  other 
languages  that  are  spoken  here  or  printed  or  used  in  newspapers 
should  be  used  only  during  the  transition  period,  a  period  to  be 
established  by  law,  after  which  the  newspaper  shall  be  printed  in 
English.  In  our  schools  there  is  only  one  language  that  should 
be  used,  and  in  our  primary  schools  only  one  that  should  be  taught 
— the  English  language.  In  our  upper  institutions  of  learning, 
study  German  or  any  other  modern  language  as  you  do  one  of 
the  ancient  languages,  but  study  it  as  a  foreign  language. 

Let  me  illustrate  what  I  mean  in  my  own  case.  I  have  a 
right  to  talk  against  hyphenated  Americans,  because  my  ancestry 
is  so  varied  that  if  you  want  to  express  me  by  a  hyphen  you  will 
have  to  use  seven  of  them.  About  225  years  ago  certain  Dutch 
traders  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  and  some  German  peas- 
ants (I  have  some  German  blood  in  me,  but  I  am  straight  United 
States,  however),  to  the  Schuylkill,  and  some  English  and  Welsh 
Quakers  and  Scotch  and  Huguenots  or  French  Protestants  who  had 
been  driven  out  of  France  because  in  France  the  Catholics  perse- 
cuted the  Protestants,  and  the  Irish  Catholics  who  had  been  driven 
out  of  Ireland  because  in  Ireland  the  Protestants  persecuted  the 
Catholics.  Their  children  grew  and  spoke  the  same  language.  If 
they  had  not  spoken  the  same  language  they  could  not  have  mar- 
ried one  another.  A  young  man  could  not  have  proposed  in  one 
language  to  a  young  lady  speaking  another.  And,  if  they  had  not 
married  one  another,  I  would  not  be  here. 

Sometime  ago  I  spoke  in  Wisconsin  and  in  Minnesota.  I  had 
with  me  two  Illinois  citizens,  friends  of  mine,  straight  Americans,, 
Mr.  Otto  Butts  of  Chicago  and  Judge  Harry  Olson  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Butts'  father  and  mother  were  born  in  Germany  and  Judge 
Olson's  father  and  mother  were  born  in  Sweden.  I  have  told  you 
of  my  ancestry  already.  The  three  of  us  were  Americans  and  noth- 
ing else.  At  the  meeting,  the  Judge  presided  and  Mr.  Butts  intro- 
duced me  and  then  I  made  a  speech.  Now  suppose  the  Judge, 
when  he  presided  at  the  meeting,  had  spoken  in  Scandinavian  and 
Mr.  Butts  when  he  introduced  me,  had  spoken  in  German,  and  that 
I  had  then  burst  into  eloquence  in  low  Dutch.  You  would  have 


248  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

needed  three  translators  for  every  member  of  the  audience.  We 
all  spoke  English  because  you  have  to  use  one  language  and  that 
is  the  language  of  the  country  itself. 

Nobody  is  obliged  to  come  to  this  country,  but  if  he  comes,  he 
is  to  take  our  constitution  and  our  flag  and  our  language.  If  he 
does  not  want  to  do  that  he  can  go  straight  back  to  the  land  from 
which  he  came. 

Now  having  said  that  I  don't  know  how  I  could  say  it  with 
any  more  emphasis  than  I  have;  whatever  other  defect  of  char- 
acter may  have  been  lodged  against  me,  at  least  I  have  not  pussy- 
footed— of  one  side  of  Americanism,  I  wish  with  no  less  emphasis 
to  say  that  the  other  and  the  equally  important  side  of  American- 
ism is  the  imperative  duty  of  treating  all  men  who  show  their  good 
faith  in  Americanism  as  on  an  absolute  equality  with  everyone  else 
without  regard  to  their  creed,  their  birthplace  or  their  national 
origin.  In  this  crisis,  since  our  people  became  fully  awake  (I  think 
our  people  remained  asleep  quite  a  time.  I  did  my  best  to  wake 
them  up)  the  great  majority  of  Americans  of  German  origin  have 
shown  themselves  as  aggressively  and  absolutely  and  singlemindedly 
American  as  the  citizens  of  any  other  stock.  And  when  that  is  the 
case  it  should  be  recognized  as  being  a  high  crime  against  the 
American  spirit  to  fail  to  honor  those  men  by  putting  them  on 
an  equality  with  the  rest  of  us. 

I  can  illustrate  what  I  mean  by  referring  to  the  Civil  War. 
In  the  southern  states,  the  bulk  of  the  men  joined  the  Confederate 
forces,  but  there  were  plenty  like  Farragut  who  stood  for  the  flag. 
We  are  the  fellow  countrymen  of  men  of  German  blood,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  who  have  stood  by  the  flag  in  this  war,  Americans,  who, 
if  we  do  not  recognize  them  as  such,  we  damn  ourselves  for  not 
doing.  Let  me  give  you  an  example.  At  the  front  in  the  flying 
corps,  two  of  the  best  American  flyers  are  Kickenbacher  and  Meis- 
ner,  both  of  them  of  German  origin.  One  of  them  an  ace.  The 
more  of  that  kind  of  men  we  get  into  our  army  the  quicker  we 
will  get  to  Berlin. 

Let  me  give  you  a  couple  of  other  examples.  The  other  day 
I  spoke  at  Martinsville,  Indiana.  I  was  introduced  by  Mayor 
Schmidt,  of  German  origin.  He  has  two  boys  overseas  in  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  249 

army.  One  of  them  was  in  my  boy  Archie's  regiment  and  was 
wounded  about  the  same  time  that  Archie  was  wounded.  They 
were  lying  in  the  same  hospital.  Do  you  think  they  are  not  com- 
rades? Don't  put  it  to  them  if  you  don't  think  so.  Major  Sim- 
mons of  the  Eed  Cross  told  me  the  other  day,  just  after  he  had 
returned,  that  he  went  into  the  hospital  to  see  my  boy  Archie. 
The  next  cot  to  Archie's  was  occupied  by  a  young  fellow  from 
Massachusetts,  and  the  next  cot  to  him  was  occupied  by  a  young 
lieutenant.  A  bullet  had  gone  through  the  point  of  his  heart. 
They  had  to  keep  him  there  for  eight  days  without  moving  a  finger 
until  the  muscle  could  heal,  because,  if  he  had  moved,  it  would 
have  meant  instant  death.  He  was  feeling  pretty  good  when 
Major  Simmons  came  to  see  him.  Simmons  began  talking  to  him, 
getting  messages  for  his  family  and  for  a  young  lady  who  did  not 
belong  to  the  family.  He  finally  asked  him  his  name  and  the  boy 
turned  with  a  grin  and  said,  "My  name  is  von  Holzenheimer." 
Wouldn't  the  Huns  feel  good  if  they  knew  they  had  got  a  man 
with  that  name?  There  were  three  boys  lying  alongside  in  the 
hospital,  wounded  in  the  same  cause.  All  three  were  of  different 
race  origin.  All  three  Americans  and  nothing  but  Americans. 
And  infamy  shall  be  the  portion  of  any  one  who  tries  to  sunder 
one  from  the  other  two. 

And  remember — I  wish  to  speak  this  to  that  small  body  of 
men  of  German  origin  who  have  tried  to  remain  American  and 
something  else,  who  have  tried  to  be  half  American  and  half  Ger- 
man— the  Germans,  the  newspapers  and  the  officers  in  Germany 
feel  more  bitterness  toward  the  Americans  of  German  origin  than 
they  do  toward  any  other  people  here.  They  are  not  placated  in 
the  least  by  any  half-and-half  loyalty.  You  cannot  make  yourself 
an  ally  of  Germany  except  by  doing  Germany's  bidding.  If  you 
act  sulky,  half  and  half,  a  little  American,  but  not  very  much 
American,  its  only  effect  is  that  you  do  not  remain  American  at 
all,  and  you  do  not  become  a  German,  because  you  lose  all  place 
in  their  country.  Do  one  thing  or  the  other.  If  you  stay  in  this 
country,  become  wholeheartedly  and  absolutely  and  without  reser- 
vation an  American.  If  you  are  not  prepared  to  do  that,  then 


250 

get  out  of  the  country  and  go  back  to  Germany.  That  is  all,  one 
thing  or  the  other. 

There  is  another  point  in  connection  with  Americanism. 
There  has  recently  been  some  talk  about  internationalism  as  a 
substitute  for  patriotism.  It  was  talked  about  and  indulged  in 
by  the  Eussian  Bolsheviki  a  year  ago,  when  they  said  they  loved 
all  mankind.  They  have  shown  their  love  by  cutting  the  throats 
of  30,000  of  their  brothers  and  by  betraying  the  free  nations  of 
the  earth  and  by  throwing  Eussia,  bound  and  helpless,  under  the 
feet  of  German  autocracy.  Internationalism  stands  to  national- 
ism exactly  as  the  love  of  one's  self  stands  to  the  love  of  one's 
family.  It  is  an  invaluable  addition,  but  a  mighty  poor  substi- 
tute. We  are  American  nationalists.  We  intend  to  do  justice  to 
all  other  nations,  but  the  professed  internationalists  during  the 
past  four  years  have  played  Germany's  game  exactly  as  the  pro- 
fessed pacifists  played  it  during  the  same  time. 

And  I  wish  to  say  how  glad  and  proud  I  am  that  we  should 
sit  here  and  listen  to  the  invocation  by  a  Bishop  who  wears  the 
button  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  because,  when  the  choice  was  between 
peace  and  righteousness,  he  stood  for  righteousness.  Whenever 
you  meet  a  man  who  tells  you  that  he  loves  other  countries  as  much 
as  he  loves  his  own,  treat  him  as  you  would  the  very  affectionate 
gentleman  who  tells  you  that  he  loves  other  women  as  much  as  he 
loves  his  own  wife.  Professional  internationalism  stands  toward 
patriotism  just  exactly  as  that  form  of  diffused  affection  stands 
towards  an  honorable  family  life.  I  like  a  good  neighbor.  I 
want  him  to  treat  me  squarely.  If  any  neighbor  tells  me  he  loves 
me  as  much  as  he  does  his  own  wife  and  children,  I  distrust  him. 
If  he  does  not  care  more  for  his  family  than  he  does  for  me,  I  am 
dead  sure  he  cares  very  little  for  me.  I  want  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  that  kind  of  a  man. 

American  pacifism  has  been  the  tool  and  ally  of  German 
militarism  and  in  just  the  same  way  the  professional  international- 
ist has  been  the  foe  of  nationalism  of  America.  For  the  moment 
the  pacifists  and  the  internationalists  are  moderately  quiet,  but 
just  as  soon  as  peace  comes  they  will  begin  to  be  noisy  again.  It 
is  only  four  year?  and  a  month  ago  that  those  men  were  scream- 


251 

ing  that  there  was  no  more  chance  for  war;  that  the  capitalists 
would  not  allow  it;  that  the  socialists  would  not  allow  it.  And 
they  said  that  men  like  myself  were  poor  maniacs  because  we  asked 
this  country  to  prepare,  and  they  went  on  and  said  during  the  next 
three  years,  up  to  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  "No,  don't  prepare;  if 
you  prepare  you  will  have  war;  keep  harmless;  if  you  are  harm- 
less enough,  nobody  will  hurt  you."  Well,  we  tried  it.  We  kept 
unprepared  and  we  got  into  war.  We  tried  being  harmless  and 
we  are  still  busily  engaged  in  trying  to  undo  our  harmlessness, 
notably  in  the  matter  of  flying  machines.  We  have  been  exceed- 
ingly harmless  in  air  craft. 

Now  that  is  what  the  pacifists  said  in  the  past.  Don't  trust 
them  in  the  future.  A  pacifist  does  not  keep  you  out  of  war. 
Even  a  pacifist  will  fight  if  you  kick  him  long  enough.  The 
trouble  is,  when  he  does  fight,  he  isn't  any  earthly  good.  He  has 
not  been  trained  so  as  to  make  himself  effective.  I  asked  for  pre- 
paredness, not  because  I  wished  war,  because  I  did  not  wish  war. 
Events  have  proved  that  I  was  right,  for,  if  we  had  prepared  our 
strength  in  advance,  the  chances  are  a  hundred  to  one  that  no 
nation  would  have  invited  a  trial  of  strength  with  us. 

Now,  when  peace  comes,  do  not  trust  the  pacifists.  They  are 
the  enemies  of  righteousness.  Do  not  trust  the  internationalists. 
They  are  the  enemies  of  nationalism — the  enemies  of  American- 
ism. Do  not  trust  the  illusionists,  the  people  who  promise  you 
peace  with  ease,  with  the  absence  of  effort,  and  who  say  if  you 
would  only  let  your  heart  grow  timid  and  your  muscles  flabby, 
you  will  be  doing  the  Lord's  will.  That  is  a  poor  type  of  Christ- 
ianity, isn't  it?  Not  the  Peter  Cartwright  type. 

Take  the  view,  you  women,  that  you  expect  your  husbands, 
the  fathers  of  your  children  to  take.  You  expect  them  to  be  good 
neighbors,  but  you  expect  them  to  have  their  first  thought  for  their 
wives  and  children,  for  their  mothers.  Isn't  that  so?  Same  way 
with  a  man  in  international  matters.  Treat  every  other  nation 
squarely.  Behave  toward  every  other  nation  as  you  would  wish 
every  other  nation  to  behave  toward  you.  But  remember,  if  you 
do  not  treat  this  nation  squarely  first,  you  cannot  be  any  good  to 
any  other  nation. 


252  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Let  us  accept  any  reasonable  proposal  when  peace  comes, 
whether  it  be  called  a  League  of  Nations,  or  a  League  to  Enforce 
Peace,  or  by  some  other  title,  any  reasonable  proposal  upon  which 
we  can  in  good  faith  act,  and  which  really  does  offer  some  chance 
of  lessening  the  probability  of  future  wars  and  diminishing  their 
area,  but  never  let  us  forget  that  a  promise  that  any  such  league 
or  other  piece  of  machinery  will  bring  about  permanently  the  abo- 
lition of  war  is  a  sham.  No  machinery  will  avail  until  by  degrees 
the  heart  of  man  is  changed.  Use  the  machinery.  Take  hold 
of  it,  but  treat  it  not  as  a  substitute  for,  but  as  a  supplement  to, 
preparing  our  own  souls  and  bodies  to  protect  our  own  hearth- 
stones in  time  of  need. 

Agreements!  Every  agreement 'that  the  mind  of  man  could 
devise  had  been  called  into  being  to  protect  Belgium  from  Ger- 
many, but  when  the  hour  came  that  the  ruthless  Prussian  German 
Hohenzollerns  thought  it  to  their  interest  to  disregard  those  treat- 
ies, they  treated  them  as  scraps  of  paper,  as  they  themselves  said. 

You  cannot  devise  any  treaty  that  will  not  be  a  scrap  of  paper 
in  the  future,  unless  the  law  abiding  nations  have  their  strength 
prepared  to  put  back  of  that  treaty  if  it  is  violated.  That  is  the 
way  in  which  you  can  secure  the  greatest  likelihood  of  peace  for 
this  nation.  I  would  be  willing  to  risk  my  case  with  the  mothers 
of  the  land.  I  would  be  perfectly  willing  to  prevent  every  one 
else  from  voting  except  the  mothers,  if  I  could  put  the  case  fairly 
before  them  and  say  "if  you  do  not  raise  your  boys  so  that  they 
can  be  soldiers  for  the  right,  some  time  or  other  you  shall  see  them 
go  against  the  cannon  unprepared,  you  will  see  your  daughters 
turned  over  to  the  mercy  of  a  foreign  enemy." 

I  asked  for  preparedness,  not  because  I  wished  war,  but  because 
I  did  not  wish  it.  I  asked  it  in  the  name  of  those  who  do  not  wish 
war,  because,  if  war  comes,  their  sons  and  they  themselves  will 
have  to  go.  You  don't  find  the  pacifists  doing  that.  The  paci- 
fists stay  at  home.  They  have  important  business  elsewhere.  It 
is  the  men  who  practice  the  fundamental  virtues  of  the  days  of 
Washington  and  the  days  of  Lincoln,  upon  whom  you  have  to  rest 
for  safety  in  time  of  trial,  and  not  upon  the  glib  tongued  creatures 
who  try  to  teach  you  that  rhetoric  is  an  effective  substitute  for  action. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  253 

And  when  I  say  prepare  our  strength,  I  do  not  mean  to  let 
George  do  it;  I  don't  mean  to  stand  by  and  plead  while  somebody 
else  prepares — I  mean  for  us.  I  mean  that  our  sons  and  grand 
sons  shall  train  themselves  in  times  of  peace,  and  that  they  so 
train  themselves  that  an  enemy  shall  know  that  it  will  not  be  18 
months  after  war  has  begun,  but  that  it  will  not  be  longer  than 
18  days  after  war  is  begun  before  they  are  ready  for  action.  And 
if  every  nation  understands  that,  you  will  not  be  able  to  get  any 
power  in  the  world  to  look  crosseyed  at  us. 

And  as  for  the  pacifists.  I  suppose  you  have  had  his  type 
out  here — the  conscientious  objector.  You  have  heard  of  him? 
Yes.  "We  had  plenty  of  them  in  New  York.  Men  used  to  write 
to  me  a  year  and  a  half  ago  and  say,  "Are  you  going  to  respect 
my  conscience?"  I  would  answer,  "Certainly,  only  you  have  got 
to  respect  mine."  I  wanted  to  find  out  first  what  the  man  was 
conscientious  about.  If  he  is  merely  conscientious  about  shooting 
somebody  else,  I  would  say,  "All  right,  I'll  put  you  in  the  army 
and  send  you  up  to  the  front  to  dig  trenches.  After  you  have  dug 
them,  I  will  put  other  men  in  with  rifles.  You  will  not  hurt  any- 
body. You  may  get  hurt  yourself,  but  you  will  not  hurt  anybody 
else."  Or,  if  he  prefers  the  navy,  I'll  say,  "All  right,  I  will  put 
you  on  a  mine  sweeper."  A  mine  sweeper  never  hurts  any  other 
vessel.  It  hunts  for  mines.  If  it  finds  them — if  it  is  not  awfully 
careful  it  is  apt  to  go  up.  The  man  himself  may  go  skyward,  but 
he  will  not  hurt  anybody  else.  If  a  man  will  do  that  kind  of 
work,  he  is  all  right.  But  if  he  says  he  is  conscientious  about  risk- 
ing his  own  worthless  carcass  to  fight  for  his  country,  then  I  would 
say  to  him,  "I  am  too  conscientious  to  allow  you  to  abide  in  a  land 
that  must  be  protected  by  the  ones  who  are  willing  to  fight  for  it." 

We  are  in  the  war.  Our  duty  is  to  speed  up  the  war  to  the 
utmost  limit  of  speed  and  be  prepared  to  fight  it  through,  no  mat- 
ter how  long  it  takes  to  fight  it  through.  We  must  insist  upon  a 
peace  by  a  complete  and  overwhelming  victory.  Remember,  that 
if  you  put  an  army  in  the  field  by  driblets,  the  war  will  last  four 
times  as  long  as  it  will  if  you  put  your  army  in  in  the  biggest 
possible  mass  at  once.  If  you  put  it  in  en  masse  it  is  much  more 
apt  to  end  the  right  way. 


254  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Above  all  things,  let  us  distrust  the  man  who  wants  to  fight 
the  war  a  little  but  not  much ;  who  says  raise  an  army  but  not  too 
big  an  army,  that  will  make  us  uncomfortable  here. 

I  feel  about  nations  as  I  do  about  individuals.  I  don't  ac- 
cept the  view  that  there  is  one  standard  for  national  honor  and 
another  standard  for  private  honor.  Neither  do  I  accept  such  a 
view  in  matters  of  courage  and  common  sense.  I  would  advise  a 
nation  as  I  would  advise  a  man.  Any  one  of  us  who  has  a  son 
wants  to  feel  that  the  son  is  not  a  brawler  and  is  not  a  coward; 
that  he  never  bullies  a  weaker  man,  but  that  he  will  stand  up 
for  his  rights.  When  a  man  will  stand  up  for  his  rights,  the  other 
man  had  better  look  out  for  him. 

I  would  advise  any  man  in  private  life  just  as  I  would  a 
nation.  Don't  hit  any  man  if  you  can  honorably  avoid  it,  but 
never  hit  SOFT.  No  body  is  crippled  if  you  hit  him  a  little,  but 
not  much.  If  you  hit  him  SOFT,  he  will  hurt  you  in  response. 
Don't  hit  him  at  all  if  you  can  help  it.  If  you  do  hit  him,  put 
him  to  sleep.  I  see  the  Bishop  gathers  my  meaning. 

That's  the  same  way  with  a  nation.  Don't  go  into  war  if  you 
can  honorably  keep  out  of  it,  but  make  it  understood  that  if  any 
nation  goes  to  war  with  you,  it  is  a  War.  If  you  go  into  war, 
put  it  through,  and  do  it  NOW.  Send  our  troops  over  by  the 
millions.  Accept  no  excuse  if  we  do  not  have  our  cannon  and  our 
aeroplanes  by  the  tens  of  thousands  for  them  and  our  ships  by 
the  thousands.  Eemember  that  the  longer  the  war  lags,  the  more 
terrible  the  toll  of  bloodshed,  of  loss,  of  suffering,  of  misery,  will 
be.  Put  the  war  through.  Stand  by  every  government  official 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  insofar  as  he  stands  by  the  people 
in  putting  the  war  through  and  not  one  minute  longer  than  he  so 
stands. 

That  is  the  Abraham  Lincoln  doctrine.  In  this  state  (I  am 
not  at  all  sure  it  was  not  in  Springfield — at  any  rate  in  one  of 
your  cities  in  Illinois)  in  1854  when  Lincoln  was  reproached  for 
standing  with  certain  men  on  certain  things,  although  he  was 
against  them  on  other  things,  he  answered:  "Stand  by  any  man 
who  is  right;  stand  by  him  as  long  as  he  is  right,  but  stand  against 
him  when  he  is  wrong."  And  to  do  less  than  that  is  to  show  your- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  255 

selves  less  than  a  man  and  less  than  an  American.  Good  sound 
doctrine.  Any  man  who  tries  to  get  you  to  stand  by  any  one  who 
is  wrong  is  trying  to  get  you  to  do  a  servile,  an  un-American  and 
an  unpatriotic  thing. 

When  we  shall  have  won  the  war,  when  those  of  our  sons 
who  are  to  come  back  do  come  back,  some  of  them  sound,  some  of 
them  crippled,  when  the  young  men  of  the  nation,  the  flower  of 
the  nation  who  have  fought  for  us  and  have  done  their  work,  when 
they  come  back,  let  us  see  to  it  that  they  have  come  back  to  a 
better  country  than  they  left. 

This  terrible  war  with  all  of  its  lamentable  accompaniments 
may  nevertheless  be  of  lasting  value  to  this  nation,  for  it  may 
scourge  us  out  of  the  wallow  of  materialism  made  only  worse  by 
a  mockish  sham  of  sentimentality  into  which  we  were  tending  to 
sink.  The  finest,  the  best,  the  bravest  of  our  young  men  hava 
gone  forward  to  face  death  for  the  sake  of  a  high  ideal,  and  there- 
by they  have  brought  home  to  all  of  us  the  great  truth  that  life 
consists  of  more  than  easy  going  pleasure  and  more  than  hard, 
conscienceless,  brutal  strife  for  purely  material  success.  We  must 
rightly  care  for  the  body  and  the  things  of  the  bod}7,  but  such  care 
leads  nowhere  unless  we  also  have  fought  for  our  own  souls  and 
for  the  souls  of  our  brothers.  When  these  gallant  boys  on  the 
golden  crest  of  life  gladly  face  death  for  the  sake  of  a  high  ideal, 
shall  not  we,  who  stay  behind,  we  who  have  not  been  found  worthy 
of  the  great  adventure,  shall  not  we  in  our  turn  try  to  shape  our 
lives  so  as  to  make  this  country  the  ideal,  which  we  in  our  hearts 
acknowledge,  and  to  make  that  ideal  and  the  actual  work-a-day 
business  of  the  world  come  a  little  corresponding,  a  little  closer 
one  to  the  other?  Let  us  resolve  to  make  this  country  a  better 
place  to  live  in  for  those  men  and  for  the  women  who  send  them  to 
battle  and  for  the  children  who  are  to  .come  after  them  to  inhabit 
the  land. 

When  peace  comes  and  even  before  peace  comes,  let  us  weigh 
and  ponder  the  mighty  spiritual  forces  called  into  being  by  this 
war  and  turn  them  to  the  social  and  industrial  betterment  of  the 
nation.  Abraham  Lincoln,  with  his  usual  homely  common  sense 
and  unerring  instinct  for  the  truth  bade  our  people  remember 


256  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

that  the  dollar  has  its  place,  a  place  that  no  one  but  a  fool  will 
deny,  hut  that  the  man  stands  above  and  not  below  the  dollar. 

Of  late  we  have  worshipped  the  dollar  over  much  and  have 
been  smugly  content  with  service  to  mammon,  heedless  of  the  fact 
that  devotion  to  dollars  is  almost  equally  damaging  to  those  who 
have  too  many  as  to  those  who  have  too  few.  For,  when  success 
is  treated  as  tested  and  measured  not  by  the  achieving,  self-re- 
specting, hard-working  family  life  and  the  performance  of  duty' 
to  one's  self  and  to  others  with  pleasure  as  an  accompaniment  of 
the  duty,  but  as  measured  simply  by  the  mass  of  dollars  collected, 
the  result  is  inevitable  that  the  successful  greedy  ones  develop  a 
mean  arrogance  toward  others,  and  the  unsuccessful  greedy  ones 
a  mean  envy  toward  others,  and  the  envy  and  the  arrogance  alike 
are  but  the  two  sides  of  the  same  evil  shield. 

In  this  country  let  our  purpose  be  to  secure  justice  to  human- 
ity. At  this  moment  we  hold  our  heads  high  because  our  sons 
and  brothers  overseas  have  placed  love  of  a  great  cause  above  ma- 
terial success.  Let  us  see  that  that  position  is  not  reversed  in  this 
country  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

The  other  day  I  read  the  statement  that  there  were  a  hun- 
dred thousand  undernourished  children  in  New  York  City.  If 
we  had  a  like  number  of  undernourished  soldiers,  what  a  cry  would 
go  up.  Yet  these  children  are  the  citizens  of  the  future  and  the 
industrial  army  is  of  the  same  consequence  as  the  military  army; 
and  if  we  do  not  realize  this  truth,  some  day  this  republic  will  rock 
to  its  foundations.  In  achieving  this  purpose,  we  must  be  equally 
on  our  guard  against  the  American  Romanoffs  and  the  reaction- 
aries of  industry  and  politics  and  against  the  vultures  who  appeal 
to  the  base  spirit  of  envy  and  class  hatred,  who  strive  for  disorder 
and  anarchy.  The  history  of  Russia  during  the  last  eighteen 
months  teaches  this  country  what  to  avoid.  If  you  avoid  the 
Scylla.  of  the  Romanoffs  and  plunge  into  the  Charybdis  of  the 
Bolsheviki,  it  don't  help.  The  fact  that  you  have  been  wrecked 
on  one  side  of  the  strait  does  not  give  you  any  cause  for  congratu- 
lation because  you  got  away  over  this  side  of  the  strait.  Avoid 
both.  Avoid  the  man  who  is  afraid  of  progress  and  avoid  the 
man  who  would  plunge  you  into  the  abyss  in  the  name  of  progress. 


257 

One  of  the  lessons  we  should  learn  is  that  the  most  sordid 
corruptionist  can  do  no  more  harm — and  heaven  knows  how  much 
harm  he  can  do — that  the  most  sordid  corruptionist  can  do  no 
more  harm  to  the  nation  than  the  consciencless  demagogue  or  the 
impracticable  and  fanatical  visionary.  We  must  take  the  rule  of 
justice  and  fair  play  as  our  guide  in  dealing  alike  with  capital 
and  labor;  with  the  business  man  and  with  the  working  man,  with 
the  man  who  lives  in  the  town  and  the  man  of  the  open  country. 

During  the  war  there  should  be  no  profiteering,  no  unusual 
and  abnormal  profit.  Yet  I  would  like  to  call  this  to  the  atten- 
tion of  some  possibly  well  meaning  persons — unless  there  are 
legitimate  profits  you  cannot  tax  them.  If  there  are  no  profits 
to  tax,  there  will  be  no  taxes  and  no  wages.  People  will  not  per- 
manently run  a  business  when  you  do  away  with  the  profits.  Ke- 
member  that.  In  a  very  real  sense  we  should  see  that  the  govern- 
ment supervises  in  this  way.  It  should  be  done,  keeping  clearly  in 
view  the  fact  that  business  must  succeed  or  no  good  will  come  to 
any  one  and  the  fact  that  when  it  does  succeed,  there  must  be 
a  reasonable  share  of  the  success  go  to  the  men  who  have  put  in 
the  capital  and  to  the  men  who  do  the  labor,  who  are  entitled 
themselves  to  the  right  of  collective  bargaining  in  their  own  in- 
terests and  who  are  entitled  to  be  treated  as  in  a  whole  and  now 
in  an  unlimited  sense,  partners  in  the  enterprise.  There  must  be 
the  fullest  recognition  in  honor  and  in  material  rewards.  There 
must  be  the  fullest  recognition  of  this  kind  for  successful,  con- 
scientious, intelligent,  hard  working  men.  And  when  I  say  recog- 
nition, I  mean  recognition  that  they  accept  as  such  and  not  that 
that  somebody  says  they  ought  to  accept  as  such. 

But  there  must  be  no  limiting  of  production;  no  limiting  of 
output;  no  insistence  on  reducing  the  efficiency  of  the  skilled  and 
hard  working  to  the  plain  of  the  shiftless  and  the  inefficient. 

So  with  the  farmer.  Our  aim  should  be  to  bring  about  in 
this  country  not  merely  the  maintenance,  but  the  increase  of  the 
farmer  who  tills  the  soil  he  owns.  Our  legislation  should  be 
shaped  to  favor  the  growth  of  that  class  rather  than  the  class  of 
the  great  land  owners  who  rent  their  land,  or  of  the  renting  class 
—17  C  C 


258  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

itself.  Our  aim  should  be  to  use  whatever  means  may  be  found 
necessary  to  put  a  premium  upon  the  maintenance  and  upbuilding 
of  the  class  which,  in  the  past,  has  always  been  the  bedrock  of  the 
nation,  the  class  of  farmers  who  live  on  the  land,  who  till  with 
their  own  hands,  who,  themselves  and  through  their  sons  and 
through  one  or  two  hired  men  do  the  work  on  the  farm  on  which 
they  live.  Make  the  farm  more  attractive  for  them,  giving  a 
chance  to  the  tenant  to  own  the  farm.  Make  it  possible  for  tho 
man  who  wants  to  buy  his  farm  to  get  the  money  from  the  nation 
on  reasonable  terms.  Do  all  of  that  that  we  can.  And  when  it 
has  been  all  done,  remember  that  nothing  that  the  government 
can  do  can  more  than  aid  the  man  himself  to  do  the  work.  No 
use  of  trying  to  carry  any  man.  If  you  carry  him  and  he  lets 
himself  be  carried,  you  will  exhaust  yourself  and  you  will  kill 
him.  There  is  only  one  efficient  way  to  help  any  one  and  that  is 
to  help  him  to  help  himself. 

So,  while  the  government  can  and  must  do  certain  things, 
the  farmer  acting  for  himself  and  acting  by  and  with  the  cooper- 
ation of  other  farmers,  must  himself  do  certain  things.  Let  us  try 
to  introduce  gradually  and  cautiously  by  adapting  to  our  own  needs, 
the  helps,  the  cooperation  and  control  that  have  been  found  effective 
in  Denmark  and  elsewhere  and  that  have  revolutionized  the  status 
of  the  farmers  in  those  countries,  and  proceed  as  regards  all  business 
men,  as  regards  the  wage  workers,  as  regards  the  farmer,  all  alike, 
on  the  one  safe  theory  in  American  life,  that  unless  this  country 
in  the  future  is  a  pretty  good  place  to  live  in  for  the  children  of 
all  of  us,  it  will  be  a  mighty  poor  place  for  the  children  of  any  of 
us.  Proceed  on  that  assumption.  Work  together,  in  unions,  in 
farmers'  leagues,  in  cooperation.  When  you  make  class  unions, 
don't  work  politically.  You  farmers,  recollect  if  you  call  a  non- 
partisan  league  non-partisan  and  yet  make  it  a  party  league,  it 
doesn't  mean  anything.  You  haven't  called  it  what  it  is,  that  is 
hypocrisy.  Work  with  the  unions,  work  with  organizations  of  any 
kind,  business,  labor,  farmers,  but  don't  forget  that  there  is  one 
union  above  any  other  union,  and  that  is  the  union  to  which  we 
all  belong — the  Union  of  the  United  States  of  America. 


THE  VANDALIA  AND   FAYETTE  COUNTY 
CELEBRATION 

The  Centennial  Celebration  at  Vandalia,  the  second  capital  of 
Illinois,  on  September  24-25-26,  was  one  of  the  most  interesting 
in  the  State. 

The  exercises  on  the  24th  and  26th  were  under  the  direction 
of  the  Fayette  County  Centennial  Committee,  and  the  program  on 
the  25th  was  turned  over  to  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission, 
which  attended  in  a  body. 

At  a  mass  meeting  held  in  the  old  capitol  grounds  in  the 
afternoon,  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  chairman  of  the  Commission  pre- 
sided, the  invocation  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg, 
S.  J.,  of  Chicago,  a  member  of  the  Centennial  Commission,  and 
addresses  were  made  by  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden,  and  Justice 
Orrin  1ST.  Carter.  Governor  Lowden  spoke  on  the  significance  of 
the  defeat  of  slavery  under  Edward  Coles,  and  showed  how  the  de- 
cision of  Illinois  at  that  time  had  an  influence  on  the  present  day 
crisis  since  it  had  much  to  do  with  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
Justice  Carter's  address  was  an  historical  discussion  of  the  early 
history  of  Vandalia  and  Southern  Illinois. 

It  had  been  intended  to  present  Mr.  Rice's  "Masque"  at  an 
open-air  amphitheater,  prepared  for  the  occasion,  on  the  evening 
of  the  25th,  but  inclement  weather  prevented.  "The  Masque"  was 
presented  on  the  following  afternoon  and  evening,  and  was  greatly 
enjoyed.  Mrs.  J.  V.  Waddell  took  the  part  of  "Illinois"  and 
the  "Prologue"  was  spoken  by  Adjutant  General  Frank  S.  Dick- 
son.  The  cast  was  selected  from  various  parts  of  Fayette  County. 

The  program  at  the  mass  meeting  was  as  follows : 

Music — i < Shelbyville  Glee  Club 

Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman  of  the  Centennial 

Commission,  Presiding 
Music — The  Centennial  Hymn 

259 


260  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Invocation , Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  S.  J. 

Music -. . ... .  .< ... y.  •• . ..  Shelbyville  Glee  Club 

Address Hon.  Frank  0.  Lowden,  Governor  of  Illinois 

Community  Songs 

Introduction  of  Hon.  0.  1ST.  Carter  by  the  Hon.  William  M.  Farmer, 

Justice  of  the   Supreme  Court  of  Illinois 

Address— Vandalia  and  the  Centennial. . Hon.  0.  N.  Carter 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois 

Music .Shelbyville  Glee  Club 

Benediction 

Four  o'Clock — Community  Chorus  and  Band 

INVOCATION     GIVEN     BY     REVEREND    FREDEEIC     SIEDENBURG,     S.     J.:, 

MEMBER    OP    THE    ILLINOIS    CENTENNIAL    COMMISSION    AND 

DEAN    LOYOLA    SCHOOL  OP    SOCIOLOGY,    CHICAGO,    ILL. 

Almighty  and  Eternal  God,  at  whose  creative  touch  this 
earth  was  born;  whose  hand  sustains  it;  whose  voice  directs  it; 
whose  love  keeps  it,  and  whose  countenance  lights  its  pathway 
back  to  Thee ;  with  humble  hearts  we  ask  Thee  to  grant  us  here 
assembled  Thy  divine  grace,  and  in  its  strength  make  us  measure 
up  to  our  opportunities  and  Thy  expectations. 

Gathered  here  at  the  old  capital,  we  thank  Thee  for  the 
hundred  years  of  this  commonwealth  and  we  offer  up  this  celebra- 
tion to  Thee  in  gratitude  for  the  sterling,  loyal  lives  of  all  the  men 
and  women  who  have  made  our  Illinois  great  and  glorious. 

But  today  0  God,  our  nation  is  in  a  cruel  crisis.  We  are  at 
war  with  war ;  at  war  to  make  the  world  safe  for  ourselves  and  our 
children  and  we  need — we  implore  Thy  help  and  protection. 

Abide  with  us  all,  but  especially  with  our  brave  hosts  across 
the  seas.  Give  courage  to  their  hearts  and  power  to  their  arms, 
so  that  soon  we  may  triumph  to  a  victorious  and  lasting  peace. 

0  God,  bless  us  also,  who  are  at  home — make  us  faithful  to 
our  ideals  and  in  our  duties  to  one  another;  make  us  faithful  to 
our  President,  to  our  Governor,  and  to  all  in  authority. 

Inspired  by  Thy  succor,  we  shall  make  this  nation  a  bulwark 
of  justice,  a  haven  for  the  oppressed  and  a  beacon  light  to  all  who 
seek  freedom. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  261 

Make  us  one  people,  sincere  and  just,  fearing  only  Thee  and 
Thy  judgments.  Then  shall  our  youth  be  assured  opportunity 
and  our  aged  enjoy  comfort ;  then  shall  the  poor  and  the  weak  find 
new  hope,  and  the  rich  and  the  strong  realize  their  stewardship. 

May  we  achieve  all  this  in  Thy  name  and  to  Thy  greater  glory 
— through  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


ADDRESS  BY  GOVERNOR  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  It  is  a  great  day  not 
only  for  Vandalia  but  for  Illinois.  It  is  a  great  privilege  for  any 
one  to  stand  on  this  historic  spot  on  the  Hundredth  Anniversary 
of  our  Statehood,  and  recall,  however  imperfectly,  some  of  the 
achievements  of  Illinois  which  have  had  for  their  setting  this 
historic  old  first  capitol  of  our  beloved  State. 

It  was  my  privilege  yesterday  to  address,  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, the  representatives  from  all  over  Illinois  of  the  United  War 
Work  Campaign,  which  is  being  conducted  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Federal  Government  at  Washington.  I  could  not  help  this 
morning  on  my  way  here  but  reflect  that  Chicago,  the  second  city 
of  this  hemisphere,  and  the  fourth  in  all  the  world,  had  its  origin 
in  the  second  story  of  this  old  structure  less  than  a  hundred  years 
ago. 

For  its  charter  was  received  from  the  General  Assembly  of 
Illinois  when  it  occupied  this  old  building,  so  rich  in  precious 
memories  of  our  mighty  past. 

This  war  which  is  raging  all  about  the  world,  and  which  is 
the  most  momentous  event  of  time,  is  related  also  to  this  structure 
in  the  midst  of  your  beautiful  little  city.  It  was  here  in  the  early 
days  of  the  State  when  our  population  was  small,  and  when  Illinois 
was  only  an  obscure  spot  upon  the  map  of  the  world,  that  the  first 
great  battle  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  was  fought  over  the  question 
of  slavery. 

If  that  battle,  in  which  Governor  Edward  Coles  was  the  leader 
on  the  one  side,  had  gone  against  the  freedom  of  man,  it  would 
surely  have  changed  the  destiny  of  Illinois,  and  in  changing  the 
destiny  of  Illinois,  it  would  have  changed  the  history  of  this 


262  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

country.  Because,  if,  as  was  sought  at  that  time,  slavery  had  been 
written  into  our  State  Constitution,  it  is  not  at  all  likely,  indeed, 
it  is  well-nigh  impossible  that  the  great  debate  between  those  two 
illustrious  sons  of  Illinois,  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  would  have  occurred.  Without  that  debate  Abraham 
Lincoln  would  never  have  been  President  of  the  United  States; 
and  this,  the  keystone  State  in  fact  of  the  Union,  a  slave  State 
would  have  meant  the  loss  of  the  Union  when  the  crisis  came. 

Without  the  triumph  of  the  Northern  Arms  in  this  great  war 
between  the  states,  we  would  have  had  a  disunited  country,  and 
today,  instead  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  from  the  Great 
Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  we  would 
have  had  at  least  two  governments,  jealous  of  each  other;  possibly 
we  would  have  had  more  than  two. 

So  today  in  the  crisis  of  the  world,  instead  of  a  united  people 
and  a  united  nation  springing  into  the  breach  which  the  forces  of 
autocracy  and  militarism  had  made,  we  would  have  been  helpless 
and  by  now  the  flag  of  the  Prussian  autocrat  might  have  floated 
over  all  of  Europe,  and  we  of  both  the  North  and  the  South  might 
well  have  become  two  colonies  of  that  brutal  power. 

So  strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this 
old  building  is  related  to  the  greatest  events  in  all  the  world's  his- 
tory. It  is  difficult  for  us  to  realize  it,  but  without  that  victory 
of  the  second  Governor  of  Illinois,  without  the  events  which  fol- 
lowed logically  in  its  train,  a  different  spectacle  would  be  presented 
today.  That  triumph  of  which  this  building  is  the  monument  is 
related  to  every  battle  front  in  Europe.  Except  for  it  the  remnant 
of  the  Serbian  Army,  the  most  heroic,  all  things  considered,  that 
has  developed  in  this  war,  would  not  have  been  able  after  four 
years  of  defeat,  after  four  years  of  suffering  and  hardship,  to  re- 
sume the  offensive  and  to  crush  its  Bulgarian  foes. 

A  year  ago  when  the  commission  of  Serbians  visited  this 
country  they  came  to  tell  us  that  their  army  had  been  driven  by 
superior  force  into  the  last  corner  of  their  territory;  their  popula- 
tion had  been  enslaved;  their  property  had  been  appropriated  by 
the  Central  Empires,  and  their  only  hope  lay  in  the  new  spirit 
which  America  might  introduce  into  this  war  if  she  would  promptly 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  263 

and  with  open  and  generous  hand  respond  to  the  call  of  the  Allies. 
It  was  our  response  to  that  call,  it  was  the  more  than  a  million 
and  a  half  of  soldiers  we  sent  to  the  battle  front,  which  revived  the 
hopes,  which  rekindled  the  courage,  which  nerved  the  army  of 
heroic  little  Serbia  until  today  that  army  is  in  full  triumph,  driv- 
ing its  hated  and  barbarous  foes  from  its  land. 

Remember,  that  of  all  the  countries  in  this  war,  Serbia  has 
as  distinguished  and  as  heroic  a  past  as  any.  It  was  her  armies 
back  in  the  middle  ages  against  which  the  waves  of  the  Turkish 
army  broke,  and  beyond  which  they  could  not  go;  and  it  was  the 
Serbians,  who,  way  back  centuries  ago,  said  to  the  hosts  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  "You  shall  not  pass." 

Without  the  assistance  we  have  given,  the  great  victories  on 
the  Western  front  would  have  been  well-nigh  impossible.  France 
and  England,  war  worn,  and  war  weary,  after  four  years  of  the 
most  terrific  fighting  that  the  world  had  ever  seen,  pitted  against 
the  greatest  army  and  the  greatest  armament  of  time,  were  fighting 
with  their  backs  to  the  wall,  as  they  themselves  declared.  It  was 
only  when  our  khaki-clad  boys  from  the  United  States  swept  up 
to  the  front  and  turned  the  tide  of  the  battle  of  the  Marne,  it  was 
only  then  that  their  indomitable  spirits  revived,  and  they  turned 
seeming  defeat  into  victory. 

If  the  United  States  had  been  sundered  by  the  Civil  War,  if 
we  had  become  two  nations,  or  three  nations,  or  four  nations  in- 
stead of  one,  we  would  have  been  powerless  to  render  that  help. 

Within  the  last  forty-eight  hours  cheering  and  inspiring  news 
has  come  to  us  from  the  Holy  Land.  Palestine  has  been  recovered 
from  the  infidels.  This  great  victory  was  made  possible  because 
of  the  new  spirit  which  America  introduced  into  the  war.  But 
America  could  not  have  rendered  this  service  if  she  had  not  been 
a  single,  undivided,  loyal,  great  nation,  and  without  the  historic 
events  which  occurred  upon  this  spot,  so  far  as  man  can  see,  we 
would  have  had  a  divided  country;  and  civilization,  religion  and 
righteousness  would  have  lain  helpless  at  the  feet  of  their  ancient 
foe  in  Palestine  as  on  the  other  battle  fronts  in  this  world  wide 
war. 


264  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

So  this  old  building — there  are  finer  capitols  everywhere  than 
it — this  old  building  is  related,  and  related  closely,  if  I  can  read 
aright,  to  all  the  triumphs  of  the  last  few  weeks. 

That  leads  me  to  say  one  thing  to  you:  No  one  of  us  can 
know  whether  an  event  when  it  happens  is  great  or  not.  We  may 
not  see  the  divine  significance  of  some  small  thing  today;  we  may 
know  only  that  it  is  our  duty,  however  small,  however  trifling,  it 
is  our  solemn  duty  to  meet  with  justice  and  righteousness  and  truth 
that  event,  because  in  the  centuries  as  they  shall  unfold,  the  event 
of  today  seeming  to  be  of  no  significance,  yet  may  change  the 
destiny  of  the  world  just  as  the  battle  that  was  fought  here  over 
slavery  almost  a  hundred  years  ago  has  an  intimate  and  an  ever- 
lasting relation  to  the  mighty  events  that  are  transpiring  now. 

Oh,  I  wish  that  I  might  make  the  people  of  Illinois  understand 
and  understand  fully  the  significance  of  this  war  in  which  we  find 
ourselves !     I  know  at  times  in  the  past  my  friends  have  thought 
that  I  took  a  gloomy  view  of  what  was  involved ;  but  there  has  not 
been  a  moment  since  our  diplomatic  relations  were  sundered  with 
Germany  that  I  have  not  felt  in  the  depths  of  my  heart  that  every- 
thing we  hold  dear  was  involved  in  the  issues  of  this  war.    It  does 
not  mean  simply  a  dispute  over  territory ;  it  is  not  merely  a  ques- 
tion of  commercial  rights;  it  is  not  even  the  battle  of  democracy 
alone.     It  is  true  that  democracy  is  fighting  the  wide  world  round 
for  the  right  to  exist;  but  it  is  more  than  that.     It  is  the  old, 
eternal  warfare  between  evil  and  good ;  it  is  the  old  warfare  of  the 
few  for  such  a  form  of  society  and  social  life  as  that  those  few  may 
enjoy  all  the  good  things  of  the  world  while  the  millions  of  man- 
kind toil  and  slave.     It  is  the  battle  which  our  fathers  fought  at 
Concord  and  Lexington,  except  that  battle  was  limited  to  the  mere 
sea  coast  of  one  land,  while  this  battle  is  flaming  all  around  the 
world.     When  this  war  is  over  there  will  be  but  one  kind  of  gov- 
ernment anywhere;  and  that  will  be  either  a  government  of  the 
people,  for  the  people,  by  the  people,  or  the  government  of  armed 
might,  the  government  of  force  imposed  by  some   despot  from 
above.     That  is  what  is  involved;  and  that  is  why  in  this  Cen- 
tennial Year,  my  friends,  I  believe  we  should  recall  and  recount 
and  dwell  upon  with  tenderness  the  events  of  our  first  century.     If 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  265 

we  shall  review  our  great  men  and  great  deeds  of  that  hundred 
years  we  shall  be  inspired  with  a  new  courage  and  a  new  deter- 
mination to  go  on  at  whatever  cost  in  money  or  men,  until  liberty 
and  righteousness  and  justice,  aye,  and  religion,  shall  be  restored 
to  their  rightful  place  throughout  the  world. 

I  want  to  say  that  whatever  the  critic  may  have  said  before 
the  war  to  the  young  men  of  today,  the  boys  of  Illinois  on  every 
battle-front  are  showing  themselves  worthy  of  the  bravest  and 
best  in  all  our  past. 

I  am  receiving  letters  from  commanding  officers,  today  of  one 
regiment,  tomorrow  of  another,  and  on  the  next  day  of  another, 
and  each  letter  relates  new  acts  of  heroism,  and  each  one  of  them 
breathes  a  lofty  spirit,  not  only  of  courage  but  of  abiding  faith 
that  we  shall  go  on  until  we  win  a  peace  by  victory  over  our  enemies 
and  the  enemies  of  civilization. 

As  the  chairman  has  told  you,  I  cannot  stay  with  you  as  long 
as  I  would  like  this  afternoon.  I  should  like  greatly  to  hear  the 
other  addresses  which  are  awaiting  you.  I  should  like  above  all 
to  see  your  pageant;  I  should  like  to  visit  with  you  in  the  shade 
of  these  old  trees  when  the  exercises  are  over,  but  I  must  hasten 
on  to  meet  another  engagement.  But  before  I  go  I  want  to  talk 
a  little  bit  to  the  mothers  of  our  boys  at  the  front. 

I  have  seen  many  of  those  boys  since  }^ou  have.  I  saw  some 
of  your  brave  and  gallant  boys  at  the  port  of  embarkation  before 
they  sailed  for  the  battle  fronts.  I  am  receiving  letters  all  the 
while  from  some  of  our  officers  and  men  over  there,  and  I  am 
going  to  talk  to  the  mothers  about  what  I  know  of  their  boys  and 
how  they  are  employed  on  the  battle  fronts. 

As  I  came  up  your  street  this  morning  I  was  greatly  impressed 
by  your  service  flag  with  its  seven  hundred  names  representing 
seven  hundred  homes  in  Fayette  County ;  and  I  noted  what  I  note 
even^where  now,  that  several,  six  I  think,  of  those  stars  had  turned 
from  blue  to  gold.  More  will  turn  from  blue  to  gold  as  the  days 
come  and  go.  I  am  going  to  read  to  you  some  of  the  things  the 
boys  are  saying  to  their  mothers,  and  some  of  the  things  the  mothers 
are  saying  to  their  boys. 


266  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

A  few  weeks  ago  an  Illinois  mother  received  news  of  the  death 
of  her  son  who  died  from  wounds  received  in  battle,  and  this  is 
what  she  said,  for  not  only  was  the  one  son  killed,  but  two  others 
were  also  fighting  beneath  our  flag:  "My  other  sons  are  just  as 
willing  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  the  cause  of  civilization.  One 
is  in  France  fighting  now;  the  other  is  getting  ready.  I  am  a 
soldier's  mother.  I  weep,  but  my  soul  is  under  the  stars  because 
of  their  spirit  of  devotion  and  courage.  I  would  not  have  any  of 
them  do  otherwise/' 

In  all  the  history  of  war  the  mother  of  man  has  never  shown 
•  as  fine  as  in  this  war.  As  all  men  know,  the  mother's  is  the 
hardest  part.  In  the  mysterious  recesses  of  her  mother's  heart 
every  wound  suffered  by  her  son  is  reproduced,  and  every  suffering 
and  every  hardship  is  repeated  there.  She  endures  all  the  agony 
of  her  boy  on  the  battle  front.  So  I  say  that  the  mother's  part 
is  the  hardest  of  all  in  any  war. 

Again,  I  say  that  the  mothers  of  no  country  anywhere  have 
met  with  such  heroism  and  self  sacrifice  the  offerings  they  have 
made  as  the  mothers  of  today.  All  honor  to  these  noble  women. 
Oh,  I  wish  that  she  who  gave  out  this  statement  when  the  news  was 
fresh  that  her  fine,  chivalrous  son  had  fallen  in  battle — I  wish  that 
this  mother  could  have  been  decorated  with  a  medal  of  honor,  with 
a  Victoria  Cross,  with  the  Croix  de  Guerre;  with  all  the  decora- 
tions which  the  allied  armies  have  pinned  upon  the  breasts  of  our 
heroic  sons.  She  deserves  them  all. 

Again,  a  letter  from  the  149th  Field  Artillery.  That  is  the 
regiment  which  belongs  to  the  Eainbow  Division,  made  up  of  Illi- 
nois boys,  which  has  been  achieving  great  distinction  in  the  war, 
being  one  of  the  first  organizations  to  cross  the  seas.  This  is 
what  young  Warden  of  that  regiment  says:  "My  mother:  You 
have  been  so  brave  and  wonderful  in  everything  that  this  letter 
is  very  hard  to  write.  The  army  idea  about  these  letters  is  that 
the  mothers  need  consolation.  Now,  I  am  not  going  to  pretend 
that  you  want  me  to  be  here,  or  that  this  is  the  place  I  want  most 
to  be,  but  I  do  know  that  my  mother  would  not  be  satisfied  to  have 
her  son  any  other  place  than  where  he  is. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  267 

"I  tell  you,  when  I  get  letters  saying  how  well  and  happy  you 
are  looking  and  feeling,  it  makes  me  very  proud  of  you,  and  how 
can  I  crab  or  kick  against  my  lot  when  you  who  have  the  hardest 
burden  of  inaction  and  waiting  to  bear  are  so  brave." 

Ah,  does  not  that  suggest  to  the  mothers  how  they  can  best 
help  their  boys  on  the  battle  fronts.  Write  your  son  a  cheerful 
letter;  tell  him  of  the  sweet  and  beautiful  old  familiar  things 
of  his  home,  and  of  his  neighborhood ;  speak  to  him  of  happy  days ; 
and  though  you  may  write  with  a  pain  in  your  heart,  write  with 
a  song  upon  your  lips,  because  you  are  helping  that  brave  boy  to 
meet  his  duty  in  this  the  crucial  hour  of  the  world's  history. 

Another — "No  dearest  mother,  there  is  something  a  great  deal 
bigger  than  personal  comfort  and  safety  and  affections  concerned. 
I  have  had  a  big  awakening  over  here,  and  I  would  not  be  anywhere 
else  in  the  world  just  now  had  I  the  choice.  It  is  patriotism,  yet  it 
is  more  than  patriotism.  It  is  pride,  yet  it  is  more  than  pride. 
There  is  something  at  stake  in  this  war  bigger  than  the  fate  of  a 
nation,  even  our  own ;  it  is  a  supreme  test  of  might  against  right." 

That  letter,  written  by  a  boy  who  would  be  in  school  if  he 
were  at  home,  contains  more  wisdom,  more  understanding  of  the 
significance  of  this  war  than  the  oldest  and  wisest  at  home  can 
have. 

I  know  what  it  has  meant  to  you  when  you  have  said  good 
bye  to  your  boys.  I  have  seen  them  by  the  thousands,  as  they 
have  embarked  for  France.  I  have  looked  into  their  brave  young 
faces,  their  bright  and  fearless  eyes,  and  the  tears  have  come  when 
I  have  thought  that  some  of  them  would  not  come  back.  When 
this  war  is  over  we  shall  not  have  as  many  young  men  as  we  would 
have  had  without  it,  but  let  me  tell  you  that  as  these  letters  dis- 
close, we  will  have  the  finest  lot  of  young  men  when  these  boys 
come  back  that  this  or  any  other  country  ever  had. 

Yesterday  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  who  has  just  returned  from  France,  at  this  meeting 
of  which  I  earlier  spoke,  told  us  of  the  splendid  conduct  of  these 
boys  in  all  our  camps  abroad;  how  clean  and  fine  and  strong  they 
were.  No  army  in  the  history  of  time  has  ever  been  as  free  from 
moral  stain  as  this  great  army  of  ours  on  the  other  side. 


268  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Their  paper,  called  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  published  over 
there  by  our  soldiers,  shows  what  their  chief  interest  aside  from 
their  military  duty  is,  for  one  of  the  first  things  they  did,  was,  com- 
pany after  company,  to  raise  funds  to  take  care  of  some  little 
orphan  boy  or  girl  of  a  French  soldier  who  had  died  in  this  war 
for  civilization;  and  they  raised  those  funds  out  of  their  meager 
earnings. 

Oh,  mothers,  when  your  boys  are  engaged  in  saving  from  their 
small  pay  enough  to  adopt  the  little  orphan  boy  or  girl  of  a  French 
patriot,  those  boys  need  give  you  no  concern.  You  need  have  no 
fear  that  when  they  return  you  cannot  take  them  as  unreservedly 
to  your  arms  as  you  could  before  they  went  away. 

Now,  my  time  is  up,  and  more,  I  think,  if  I  am  going  to  make 
my  train.  I  am  just  going  to  say  one  more  thing,  then  I  am  going 
to  leave  you,  and  that  is:  They  are  safe,  because  they  are  meet- 
ing the  great  duty  of  the  hour.  They  are  fighting  God's  battle  if 
soldiers  ever  fought  God's  battle;  they  are  upholding  the  honor  of 
our  flag. 

They  are  safe,  but  what  of  us?  We  will  have  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  ourselves  to  them  when  they  return,  and  we  ought  to 
give  such  an  account !  They  have  already  rendered  full  account 
to  us,  and  the  obligation  now  is  ours;  and  so,  whenever  opportun- 
ity comes,  whether  in  a  Liberty  Loan  campaign,  or  whether  it  is 
to  raise  a  fund  for  those  great  agencies  that  have  been  recognized 
by  the  Government,  let's  remember  that  an  opportunity  has  come 
to  us  to  show  our  appreciation  of  these  boys.  The  question  is  not 
whether  they  will  meet  their  full  duty;  it  is  whether  we  at  home 
shall  meet  ours. 

If  they  are  gladly  willing  to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice,  the 
sacrifice  of  life  itself,  that  our  state  and  nation  and  civilization 
may  endure,  surely,  we  at  home  for  whom  they  are  fighting 
should  gladly  seek  day  by  day  what  we  can  do  to  show  them  that 
we  appreciate  their  courage  and  their  sacrifice. 

Then  we  must  make  an  account  to  them  of  other  things  when 
they  return.  We  owe  it  to  them  to  do  everything  within  our  midst, 
within  our  state,  within  our  nation,  to  make  this  country  just  a 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  269 

little  bit  better,  just  a  little  bit  cleaner,  just  a  little  bit  more  un- 
selfish than  it  was  when  they  went  away. 

I  know  that  I  can  count  on  you,  because  I  have  looked  into 
your  faces  today,  and  I  have  seen  devotion  written  there.  I  know 
that  I  can  count,  as  I  have  counted  and  not  been  disappointed, 
on  the  people  of  Fayette  County,  on  this  section  of  the  state,  work- 
ing together  with  this  new  sense  of  brotherhood  that  has  come 
upon  the  world  because  of  this  great  war,  to  look  into  the  faces 
of  these  boys  when  they  return  and  say,  "We  are  entering  upon 
the  second  century  of  our  existence  as  a  state,  and  we  have  tried 
to  be  worthy,  not  only  of  our  past  but  of  you,  our  heroic  boys." 

You  will  help,  I  know;  you  will  help  without  stint,  and  with- 
out limit. 


VANDALIA  AND   THE   CENTENNIAL 

JUSTICE  ORRIN   N.    CARTER 

We  have  met  here  today  in  this  Centennial  Year  to  com- 
memorate the  selection  and  occupation  of  this  place  as  the  capital 
of  Illinois.  Doubtless  no  other  state  capital  was  ever  selected 
under  such  conditions  and  circumstances  as  accompanied  the  se- 
lection of  Vandalia.  When  so  selected,  Fayette  County  had  not 
been  organized,  and  this  spot  was  virgin  forest  with  no  permanent 
settlement  nearer  than  20  miles. 

It  is  appropriate — even  in  these  war  times — that  we  should 
fittingly  commemorate  the  early  struggles  of  those  pioneers  who 
so  patriotically,  under  great  difficulties,  laid  the  foundations  of 
this  great  commonwealth.  When  the  first  constitutional  conven- 
tion met  at  Kaskaskia  in  August,  1818,  one  of  its  most  vigorous 
discussions  was  with  reference  to  the  location  of  the  state  capital. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  territorial  capital  had  been  located  at 
Kaskaskia  and  the  first  constitutional  convention  met  at  that 
point,  in  the  building  usually  occupied  by  the  territorial  authori- 
ties. It  was  apparently  realized  by  all  the  delegates  that  Kas- 
kaskia was  not  properly  located — geographically  and  with  refer- 
ence to  transportation  facilities — to  be  the  permanent  capital. 
During  the  session  of  the  convention,  some  half  dozen  resolutions 


270  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

were  introduced  by  various  members  with  reference  to  locating  the 
capital,  all  designating  points  upon  or  near  the  Kaskaskia  river. 
The  resolution  as  finally  adopted  August  24,  1818,  provided  that 
the  proper  authorities  should  petition  the  United  States  Congress 
to  grant  the  State  of  Illinois  a  quantity  of  land  to  contain  "not 
more  than  four  nor  less  than  one  section,  *  *  *  to  be  situate 
on  the  Kaskaskia  River,  as  near  as  may  be  east  of  the  third  princi- 
pal meridian  on  said  river";  that  should  the  prayer  of  said  peti- 
tion be  granted,  the  General  Assembly,  at  the  next  session,  should 
provide  for  the  appointing  of  five  commissioners  to  make  the  selec- 
tion of  said  land  so  granted,  and  further  providing  for  the  laying 
out  of  a  town  upon  the  land  so  selected  which  should  be  the  seat 
of  government  for  the  State  for  the  term  of  twenty  years  and  that 
the  General  Assembly  might  have  power  to  make  such  provisions 
for  a  permanent  seat  of  government  as  might  be  necessary.  (Par. 
13  of  Schedule  of  111.  Constitution,  1818).  The  Federal  Congress 
on  March  3,  1819,  passed  an  act  granting  to  the  State  of  Illinois 
four  sections  of  land  in  accordance  with  that  provision  of  the  Illi- 
nois Constitution,  providing  that  the  selection  should  be  made  be- 
fore the  public  sale  of  adjoining  public  lands.  (3  IT.  S.  Stats, 
at  Large,  June,  1813,  to  March,  1823,  p.  525.) 

The  first  legislature  of  Illinois  assembled  at  Kaskaskia,  and 
at  its  second  session  in  January,  1819,  several  resolutions  were 
proposed  with  reference  to  the  selection  of  the  capital  and  the  loca- 
tion of  the  land  as  provided  for  by  the  State  Constitution  and  the 
Federal  Congress.  Finally,  on  March  30,  1819,  at  a  joint  session 
of  the  Senate  and  House,  five  commissioners  were  chosen  to  select 
a  location.  Beyond  question,  all  the  places  seriously  considered 
were  located  upon  the  Kaskaskia  Eiver  and  if  the  provision  as  to 
the  location  as  near  as  might  be  east  of  the  third  principal  merid- 
ian was  to  be  followed,  none  of  the  other  places  under  consider- 
ation would  have  been  chosen.  It  seems  quite  clear  from  the 
records  available  as  to  the  reasons  for  changing  the  location  of 
the  capital,  that  such  change  was  largely  brought  about  by  those 
who  were  desirous  of  promoting  land  speculation — the  promoters, 
doubtless,  believing  that  they  would  derive  personal  advantage 
from  the  change.  The  statement  is  frequently  made  in  the  his- 


271 

tory  of  that  time  that  quite  a  number  of  the  prominent  residents 
of  Kaskaskia  were  promoters  of  the  change  and  the  authentic 
records  seem  to  indicate  that  this  speculation  desire  was  really 
the  cause  for  the  change. 

Hon.  Sidney  Breese,  at  the  time  Vandalia  was  selected  as  the 
State  capital,  was  serving  as  assistant  to  the  Secretary  of  State 
Kane.  Breese,  as  you  know,  was  afterwards  United  States  Senator 
and  served  for  many  years  and  until  his  death,  as  a  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  State.  His  name  is  perhaps  as  well  known 
and  illustrious  as  that  of  any  man  who  ever  sat  on  the  supreme 
bench  of  the  State.  At  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone 
of  the  present  State  House  in  Springfield,  October  5,  1868,  he 
wrote  for  publication  his  recollections  of  the  selection  of  Vandalia, 
among  other  things  saying,  that  while  the  commissioners  were 
considering  other  localities,  a  noted  hunter  and  trapper,  Reavs, 
by  name,  visited  them.  He  spoke  in  glowing  terms  of  the  beauties 
of  "Reavs'  Bluff"  where  his  cabin  was  situated,  being  on  the  Kas- 
kaskia River  at  this  point,  and  told  the  commissioners  that  "Pope's 
Bluff"  now  Carlyle,  wasn't  a  'primin'  to  his  bluff.'  Breese  further 
relates  that  the  commissioners  visited  Reavs'  Bluff  and  selected  it 
as  the  location  for  the  future  capital;  that  after  the  selection  "lots 
were  sold  at  public  auction,  on  credit,  at  fabulous  prices,  few  of 
which  were  paid  for  in  full.  The  enterprising  and  scheming, 
some  from  the  old  world,  came  to  it,  and  soon  the  nucleus  of  a 
town  was  formed.  Measures  were  inaugurated  for  the  erection 
of  a  State  House,  which  culminated  in  a  plain  two-story  frame 
building  of  rude  architecture,  set  upon  a  rough  stone  foundation, 
and  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  square,  the  lower  floor  of  which 
was  devoted  to  a  passage  and  stairway  to  the  upper  story,  and  a 
large  plain  room  devoid  of  ornament;  the  upper  floor  was  divided 
into  two  rooms,  the  largest  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Senate, 
and  a  smaller  one  for  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State;  the 
auditor  and  treasurer  occupying  detached  buildings,  hired  for  that 
purpose.  No  ceremonies  were  observed  in  laying  the  corner  stone 
of  this  unsightly  structure;  no  music  disturbed  the  solitude  of 
the  forest,  then  in  its  primeval  beauty;  no  crowd  in  pride  of 
pageantry  lent  excitement  to  the  scene;  no  sound  was  heard  save 


272  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

the  rap  of  the  mason's  hammer  and  the  sharp  click  of  his  trowel." 
(Caton's  Miscellanies,  p.  65.)  This  was  the  first  State  Capitol 
building  ever  owned  by  the  State.  The  State  records  were  trans- 
ferred from  Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia  in  a  single  wagon  under 
Breese's  direction,  Breese  and  the  driver  being  compelled  several 
times,  before  reaching  Vandalia,  to  cut  down  trees  in  order  to 
obtain  a  passageway  of  sufficient  size.  The  legislature  •  made  an 
appropriation,  when  meeting  at  Vandalia,  of  $25  to  pay  Breese  for 
the  services  rendered  in  thus  transferring  the  State  archives  from 
Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia.  The  first  Governor  of  the  State,  Shadrach 
Bond,  delivered  his  first  message  to  the  Second  General  Assembly 
in  this  first  State  House  on  December  4,  1820.  Among  other 
things,  he  recommended  that  the  Assembly  provide  for  the  public 
welfare  by  encouraging  education  and  at  the  proper  time  when 
"thought  advisable,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  seminary  of  learn- 
ing ;  that  he  knew  of  no  situation  more  commanding  than  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  seat  of  government.  Here  the  student,  by  an  occasional 
visit  to  the  Houses  of  the  General  Assembly  and  the  courts  of 
justice,  will  find  the  best  specimens  of  oratory  the  State  can  pro- 
duce; imbibe  the  principles  of  legal  science  and  political  knowl- 
edge, and,  by  an  intercourse  with  good  society,  his  habits  of  life 
will  be  chastened,  and  his  manners  improved/'  The  esteemed 
governor  had  greater  faith  in  the  influence  of  the  legislature  and 
other  departments  of  State  upon  education  than  do  most  people 
at  the  present  time. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  the  supposed  origin  of  the  name 
'^Vandalia".  Governor  Ford  in  his  early  history  of  Illinois,  states 
that  "after  the  place  had  been  selected,  it  became  a  matter  of  great 
interest  to  give  it  a  good  sounding  name,  one  which  would  please 
the  ear,  and  at  the  same  time  have  the  classic  merit  of  perpetuat- 
ing the  memory  of  the  ancient  race  of  Indians  by  whom  the  coun- 
try had  first  been  inhabited.  Tradition  says  that  a  wag  who  was 
present  suggested  to  the  commissioners  that  the  'Vandals'  were 
a  powerful  race  of  Indians,  who  once  inhabited  the  banks  of  the 
Kaskaskia  Eiver  and  that  Vandalia,  formed  from  their  name, 
would  perpetuate  the  memory  of  that  extinct  but  renowned  people. 
The  suggestion  pleased  the  commissioners,  the  name  was  adopted 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  273 

and  they  thus  proved  that  the  name  of  their  new  city  (if  they  were 
fit  representatives  of  their  constituents)  would  better  illustrate  the 
character  of  the  modern  than  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try/' (Ford's  History  of  111.,  p.  35.) 

Robert  Ross,  in  his  Historical  Souvenir  of  this  city,  says 
(p.  11)  :  "The  most  reasonable  solution  to  the  question  is,  that 
the  location  was  in  the  Van  of  the  settlements  in  the  State,  and 
because  of  the  hills  and  dales  surrounding  it,  therefore  'Vandalia'." 
This  statement  of  Ross  seems  to  be  in  accord  with  the  recollections 
of  William  C.  G-reenup,  who,  as  surveyor,  laid  out  the  original 
town  of  Vandalia.  Greenup  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  State 
at  that  time,  having  been  secretary  of  the  first  constitutional  con- 
vention and  Mr.  Ross,  in  his  Souvenir,  gives  a  statement  of  George 
W.  Brown  as  to  a  conversation  that  he  heard  between  his  father 
and  Colonel  Greenup,  in  which  the  Colonel  told  his  father  that  the 
town  received  the  name  of  Vandalia  for  the  reasons  just  mentioned. 

While  investigating  the  early  history  of  this  State  in  prepa- 
ration for  this  talk,  I  have  obtained  some  information  new  to  me 
and  which  I  have  never  seen  referred  to  by  any  writer  on  this 
subject,  which  may  possibly  have  some  bearing  as  to  how  the  name 
"Vandalia"  came  to  be  chosen.  When  it  was  a  part  of  the  British 
possessions,  several  companies  were  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
locating  lands  in  that  part  of  this  country  which  was  afterwards 
known  as  the  Northwest  Territory.  These  were  organized  under 
the  name  of  the  Illinois,  Wabash,  Indiana  and  Vandalia  Com- 
panies, respectively,  and  were  granted  by  the  British  Crown  the 
right  to  locate  land  in  that  portion  of  the  United  States  west  and 
north  of  the  Ohio  River.  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  represented 
for  years  our  country  in  foreign  service,  before,  during  and  after 
the  Revolution,  had  corresponded  with  reference  to  some  of  these 
companies  with  one  Samuel  Wharton  of  Philadelphia.  This 
correspondence  shows  that  they  were  considering  locating  a  com- 
pany or  colony  to  be  known  as  the  Walpole  Company  or  Grand 
Ohio  Company  "which  proposed  the  erection  of  the  colony  of  Van- 
dalia, west  of  Virginia."  (Vol.  10,  111.  Historical  Collections,  p. 
374,  Note  1.)  The  Journals  of  the  United  States  Congress  show 
—18  C  C 


274 

that  after  the  beginning  of  the  Kevolution,  as  well  as  after  the 
United  States  became  an  independent  nation,  attempts  were  made 
by  some  of  the  original  proprietors  in  these  land  companies,  to 
locate  in  the  Northwest  Territory  and  that  vigorous  protests  were 
made  by  the  Virginia  State  authorities  with  reference  to  the  mat- 
ter, the  latter  claiming  that  the  land  belonged  to  Virginia  because 
of  the  conquest  of  this  Illinois  country  by  Colonel  Clark.  (See 
Hening's  Virginia  Stats,  at  Large,  Vol.  10,  p.  557,  and  3  Journals 
of  U.  S.  Congress  (1778-1782,  pp.  359,  676,  680.)  It  seems, 
therefore,  from  the  investigation  on  this  subject,  that  "Vandalia" 
was  a  familiar  name  even  before  the  Revolution  and  was  used  with 
reference  to  a  tract  of  land  which  included  the  southern  part  of 
this  State,  as  well  as  the  name  of  the  proposed  colony,  to  be  lo- 
cated, possibly,  in  southern  Illinois.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to 
suppose  that  one  of  the  five  commissioners,  or  some  prominent  man 
who  was  discussing  this  question  with  the  commissioners,  remem- 
bering the  name  of  Vandalia  in  connection  with  these  proposed 
land  claims  and  the  prospective  colony,  may  have  thought  it  proper 
to  perpetuate  the  name  by  that  of  the  new  capital  of  the  State — 
no  one  can  deny  that  the  name  was  good  sounding  to  the  ear  and 
seemed  to  possess  a  classic  merit.  It  would  seem  to  the  present 
speaker  that  it  is  as  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  name  Vandalia 
was  thus  chosen,  as  to  favor  the  explanation  suggested  by  Governor 
Ford,  and  just  as  reasonable,  perhaps,  as  the  suggestion  of  Colonel 
Greenup,  the  original  surveyor  of  the  town. 

The  Constitution  provided  that  when  the  new  capital  was 
chosen,  it  should  remain  as  located  for  twenty  years.  Long  before 
the  twenty  years  expired,  there  commenced  an  agitation  for  the 
removal  of  the  capital  from  this  city,  largely,  I  think,  because  of 
the  lack  of  transportation  facilities  to  reach  this  point.  Had  travel- 
ing facilities  at  that  time  equalled  those  of  today,  it  might  well  be 
questioned  if  this  city  might  not  long  have  remained  the  State 
Capital,  as  the  National  Capital  has  remained  at  Washington, 
though  far  removed  from  the  geographical  center  of  the  country, 
though  the  question  of  a  change  has  often  been  agitated.  The 
then  residents  of  Vandalia  realized  the  danger  of  this  agitation 
and  when  the  first  State  Capitol  Building  was  burned  on  the  night 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  275 

of  December  9,  1823,  and  totally  destroyed  they  bestirred  them- 
selves to  raise  funds,  privately,  to  assist  in  the  erection  of  a  new 
capitol  building.  I  am  unable  to  find  any  definite  information  as 
to  the  cause  of  the  fire  which  destroyed  the  first  capitol  building. 
I  understand  there  has  been  a  rumor  extant  that  the  cause  of  the 
fire  was  incendiary,  growing  out  of  the  sharp  agitation  as  to  calling 
a  convention  to  permit  slavery  to  be  established  in  this  State; 
but  I  find  no  authentic  basis  in  any  of  the  records  justifying  any 
such  rumor.  Judge  Breese  and  others  who  have  written  on  the 
subject,  say  the  cause  of  the  fire  was  entirely  unknown. 

The  second  capitol  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $15,000. 
In  his  message  in  November,  1824,  Governor  Coles  complimented 
the  residents  of  Vandalia  upon  their  patriotism  in  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  the  new  State  House  and  promised  to  do  all  he  could 
to  have  them  reimbursed.  Late  in  the  same  year  this  promise  was 
made  good  by  the  Legislature.  In  1833  the  agitation  for  the  re- 
moval of  the  capital  from  Vandalia  took  definite  shape  and  the 
Eighth  General  Assembly  passed  an  act  providing  for  taking  a  vote 
in  each  county  on  the  question  of  such  removal.  Six  proposed 
locations  were  voted  for,  including  Vandalia.  The  result  of  the 
vote  showed  that  the  geographical  center  of  the  State  received  790 
votes  while  Alton — which  led  in  votes — received  8,157,  Vandalia 
the  second  highest,  7,730,  and  Springfield  the  next  highest,  7,075. 
So  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  the  result  of  this  election  was  never 
officially  canvassed  and  declared.  In  the  meantime  the  Vandalia 
citizens,  evidently  fearful  that  they  would  lose  the  capital  and 
seeking  to  meet  the  argument  that  was  being  made  at  this  time, 
that  the  State  needed  a  new  State  House,  busied  themselves  with 
projects  for  a  new  building  by  which  they  might  take  advantage  of 
the  failure  to  declare  the  official  result  as  to  the  removal  of  the 
capital.  Apparently  without  any  authority  of  law,  the  second  State 
House  building  was  torn  down  in  the  summer  of  1836,  during  the 
legislative  recess,  and  the  citizens  of  the  city,  on  their  own  responsi- 
bility, built  a  new  building,  the  present  Court  House  at  a  cost  of 
some  $16,000.  The  then  Governor,  Duncan,  desirous  of  treating 
Vandalia  as  fairly  as  possible,  paid  $6,000  out  of  the  State  con- 
tingency fund  to  assist  in  the  cost  of  the  structure.  The  balance 


276  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

of  the  expense,  approximately  $10,000,  was  borne  by  the  citizens  of 
this  city,  although  I  understand  the  Legislature  afterwards  re- 
funded the  amount  thus  expended.  Vandalia,  however,  was  not 
thus  able  to  dispose  of  the  agitation  for  removal,  and  on  February 
25,  1837,  the  Legislature  in  joint  session  here,  on  the  fourth  ballot, 
chose  Springfield  as  the  new  seat  of  government  for  the  State. 
Vandalia  received  on  this  last  vote,  the  next  highest  vote  to  Spring- 
field, and  some  eight  or  nine  other  localities  also  received  votes. 
The  Eleventh  General  Assembly  held  the  last  session  of  the  Illinois 
Legislature  at  Vandalia,  meeting  here  December  3,  1838.  In 
February,  1839,  an  act  was  passed  conveying  the  interest  of  the 
State  in  the  third  State  House  building  to  Fayette  County,  with 
the  stipulation  that  the  west  half  of  the  building  should  be  used 
as  a  Court  House  and  the  east  half  for  school  purposes.  The  build- 
ing was  thus  used  and  occupied,  so  far  as  it  was  occupied,  until 
1857,  although  it  seems  that  a  school  was  not  conducted  here  in 
the  east  half  during  all  the  intervening  years.  In  1857,  by  a 
special  act  of  the  Legislature,  the  educational  authorities  who  had 
control  in  the  matter  at  that  time,  conveyed  to  the  county  their 
entire  interest  in  the  building,  and  thereafter  the  third  State 
House  was  remodeled  by  the  county  and  all  of  it  has  since  been 
used  as  a  Court  House. 

While  Vandalia  was  the  State  capital,  the  destinies  of  this 
great  State  were  presided  over  by  six  different  Governors,  begin- 
ning with  Shadrach  Bond  and  ending  with  Joseph  Duncan.  Gov- 
ernor Carlin  the  seventh  Governor  was  also  inaugurated  here  and 
the  capital  was  moved  to  Springfield  during  his  administration. 
One  of  these  six  Governors,  Ewing,  only  served  fifteen  days.  Gov- 
ernor John  Eeynolds  had  been  previously  elected  to  Congress,  as 
had  Lieutenant  Governor  Casey,  and  both  resigned  to  qualify  in 
the  Federal  positions.  Ewing  was  then  serving  as  president  of  the 
State  Senate,  and  therefore  because  of  holding  that  position,  be- 
came the  acting  Governor  until  Duncan  was  elected  and  qualified, 
fifteen  days  after  Governor  Keynolds  resigned.  Ewing  has  the 
unique  distinction,  not  only  of  serving  the  shortest  time  of  any 
Governor  of  the  State,  but  also  because  of  occupying  numerous 
prominent  positions,  both  before  and  after  he  was  Governor.  His 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  277 

first  position  of  State  importance  was  clerk  of  the  Legislature; 
after  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house,  and  speaker ;  then 
a  member  of  the  senate,  president  pro-tern,  of  the  senate,  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  and  United  States  Senator;  then,  later,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Legislature,  speaker,  and  after  that,  again 
clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  During  this  intervening 
period  he  was  also,  at  one  time,  the  State  Auditor  of  Public  Ac- 
counts. Ewing  must  have  been  a  man  who  retained  the  good  will 
and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  associated. 

The  second  Governor  of  Illinois,  Edward  Coles,  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, had  served  seven  years  as  private  secretary  to  President 
Madison  and  had  been  sent  by  him  on  a  special  mission  to  Russia 
to  settle  a  very  important  dispute  that  had  arisen  between  the  two 
governments,  completing  this  mission  satisfactorily  to  all  parties 
concerned.  He  was  thereafter  appointed  by  President  Monroe  as 
United  States  Land  Registrar  at  Edwardsville,  in  this  State.  Be- 
fore going  on  his  mission  to  Russia,  he  had  made  a  trip  over  the 
Northwest  Territory  for  the  purpose  of  seeking  a  proper  location 
to  settle,  where  he  could  bring  and  free  his  slaves  that  he  had  in- 
herited from  his  father.  While  acting  as  secretary  of  President 
Madison,  Coles  had  been  reading  widely  and  studying  seriously 
with  reference  to  this  slavery  question;  he  had  corresponded  with 
former  President  Jefferson  and  had  made  up  his  mind  he  would 
free  his  slaves,  but  concluded  that  he  could  not  do  it  either  satis- 
factorily to  himself  or  to  their  advantage  in  Virginia,  where  he 
was  then  residing,  as  all  the  people  in  that  State  believed  strongly 
in  slavery  and  the  Virginia  laws  were  such  as  to  make  such  action 
practically  impossible,  without  getting  both  his  slaves  and  himself 
into  trouble.  He  therefore  decided  to  move  into  that  part  of  the 
United  States  where  slavery  was  not  in  force — the  ordinance  under 
which  the  Northwest  Territory  was  organized  specifically  provided 
that  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  should  ever  be  in 
force  within  the  territory.  Illinois  was  slave  territory  when  it  was 
ceded  by  Virginia  to  the  United  States  and  after  it  became  a  state 
it  was  argued  that  under  the  provisions  of  this  cession  from  Vir- 
ginia to  the  Federal  Government,  slavery  might  still  legally  exist, 
notwithstanding  the  provisions  in  the  ordinance  organizing  the 


278 

Northwest  Territory,  it  being  argued  that  this  ordinance  was  in 
conflict  on  this  question  with  the  deed  of  cession  and  that  therefore 
the  ordinance  was  not  binding  upon  the  people  of  the  State.  Coles 
settled  in  this  State  in  1819  and  was  elected  Governor  to  succeed 
Bond  in  August,  1822.  There  were  no  political  conventions  in 
those  days  to  nominate  the  candidates  and  the  different  aspirants 
for  office  were  compelled  to  go  out  on  their  own  hook  to  seek  office, 
or,  in  the  language  of  that  day  "run  stump."  At  the  election  in 
1822  for  Governor,  there  were  four  candidates,  two  pro-slavery, 
Chief  Justice  Joseph  Phillips  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
and  one  of  his  associates  on  the  supreme  bench,  Thomas  C.  Browne. 
Coles  was  known  to  be  anti-slavery  and  Major  General  James  B. 
Moore  was  also  a  candidate  and  it  was  generally  understood  that 
he  was  against  slavery.  Coles  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  50 
votes  over  Phillips.  Judge  Browne  was  brought  out  by  the  friends 
of  Phillips  to  help  him  in  the  Wabash  Country,  but  the  result  of  the 
election  showed  that  Browne's  candidacy  was  the  cause  of  Phillips' 
defeat.  Undoubtedly  a  large  majority  of  the  votes  that  went  to 
Browne  would  have  gone  to  Phillips  and  have  elected  him.  The 
aggregate  of  the  votes  of  Browne  and  Phillips  together  were  much 
greater  than  the  aggregate  of  the  votes  of  Coles  and  Moore.  Thus 
Coles  was  elected  Governor  by  the  division  of  the  pro-slavery  vote ; 
but  there  was  no  such  division  on  the  vote  as  to  the  Legislature  and 
the  other  State  candidates,  and  the  pro-slavery  candidates  for  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  and  members  of  the  Legislature  were  elected. 

The  result  of  this  election,  electing  Governor  Coles,  anti- 
slavery,  and  the  Legislature,  pro-slavery,  brought  about  the  most 
exciting  political  contest  that  ever  took  place  in  this  State  until 
the  years  immediately  preceding  the  Civil  War.  Governor  Coles 
in  his  first  message  to  the  Legislature  strongly  advocated  legisla- 
tion giving  more  rights  to  the  colored  people.  The  so-called  "Black 
Laws"  then  in  force  in  Illinois,  practically  placed  the  colored  race 
in  bondage,  notwithstanding  the  provision  in  the  Illinois  Constitu- 
tion of  1818  and  the  ordinance  creating  the  Northwest  Territory 
forbidding  slavery  and  involuntary  servitude.  The  Legislature, 
largely  pro-slavery,  resented  these  suggestions  of  the  Governor  and 
after  a  vigorous  discussion  on  the  question,  passed  a  resolution 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  279 

calling  for  a  vote  of  the  people  as  to  whether  or  not  a  new  con- 
vention should  be  held  for  the  purpose  of  legalizing  slavery.  The 
Legislature  only  succeeded  in  passing  this  resolution  after  unseat- 
ing Eepresentative  Hansen,  who  had  formerly  been  seated  on  a 
contest,  and  seating  one  Shaw  who  had  been  theretofore  refused 
a  seat,  at  the  time  of  the  Hansen  contest.  Hansen,  much  to  the 
surprise  and  chagrin  of  the  pro-slavery  people,  had  voted  against 
the  calling  of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  while  Shaw,  as  soon 
as  he  was  seated,  voted  for  it,  thus  giving  the  necessary  two-thirds 
vote  in  favor  of  calling  the  convention.  The  joy  of  the  convention, 
men  over  this  triumph  was  unbounded.  An  impromptu  jollifica- 
tion was  gotten  up  in  this  city,  not  only  to  celebrate  their  victory, 
but  to  taunt  their  opponents.  The  pro-slavery  people  organized 
themselves  into  a  noisy,  disorderly,  tumultuous  procession,  as  re- 
ported by  Governor  Ford  in  his  history,  headed  by  Judge  Phillips, 
the  defeated  candidate  for  Governor,  and  Judge  Smith,  Judge 
Thomas  Eeynolds  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  Lieutenant  Governor 
Casey,  followed  by  a  majority  of  the  Legislature  and  the  hangers 
on  and  the  rabble  about  the  seat  of  government,  and  marched  to 
the  blowing  of  tin  horns  and  beating  of  drums  and  tin  pans  to  the 
residence  of  Governor  Coles,  and  to  the  boarding  houses  of  their 
principal  opponents,  where  they  manifested  their  contempt  for 
those  they  were  serenading  by  a  confused  medley  of  groans,  wail- 
ings  and  lamentations.  (Ford's  History  of  111.  p.  53.)  Governor 
John  Eeynolds,  who  was  elected  as  the  fourth  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  who  was  a  pronounced  pro-slavery  man  and  for  the 
convention,  writes  with  reference  to  this  celebration  on  the  evening 
in  question,  that  it  was  wild  and  indecorous  and  aroused  much 
antagonism  as  well  as  being  very  unpopular.  The  resolution  was- 
passed  in  1823  calling  for  a  vote  on  the  convention  about  eighteen 
months  later  in  August,  1824.  Immediately  after  the  passage  of 
the  resolution,  the  two  sides  organized  for  the  contest,  the  anti- 
slavery  men  under  the  leadership  of  Governor  Coles,  who  gave  all 
of  his  salary  and  most  of  his  time  in  striving  to  educate  the  public 
to  vote  against  the  convention.  Both  parties  then  began  to  wage 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  contests  that  was  ever  brought  before 
the  voters  of  this  or  any  other  state  for  settlement.  It  was  long 


280  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

and  severe.    Most  of  the  leading  men  of  the  time  were  pro-slavery, 
but  the  anti-slavery  men,  under  the  leadership  of  Governor  Coles, 
did  not  lack  for  strong  supporters.     Newspapers,  handbills  and 
pamphlets  were  scattered  broadcast  and  every  person  who  was  able 
to  make  a  speech  took  "the  stump"  on  one  side  or  the  other,  and  for 
eighteen  months  all  the  people  did  little  but  read  the  newspapers, 
handbills  and  pamphlets  and  discuss  and  argue  with  each  other, 
wherever  they  might  meet,  with  reference  to  the  all-absorbing  topic. 
It  is  stated  by  some  who  were  living  at  that  time  and  who  wrote 
their  recollections  with  reference  to  this  contest,  that  not  only  men 
but  women  and  children  who  were  old  enough  to  understand  the 
subject,  took  part  in  the  discussion;  that  old  friendships  were 
broken,  families  divided  and  neighbors  arrayed  against  each  other; 
that  threats  of  personal  violence  were  often  made  and  that  personal 
conflicts  were  of  common  occurrence.     Ministers  took  prominent 
part  in  the  discussion  and  they  were  practically  unanimous  against 
calling  the  convention.    The  contest  continued  with  unabated  vigor 
and  violence  until  the  election  on  the  first  Monday  in  August,  1824, 
the  result  of  which  was  that  a  majority  of  1,872  voted  against  the 
calling  of  the  convention,  Fayette  County  vote  being  125  for,  121 
against.    Every  one  who  was  able  to  vote  was  brought  to  the  polls 
— the  old,  the  sick  and  the  decrepit.    The  largest  vote  was  cast  in 
proportion  to  the  population  that  was  cast  for  many  years — larger 
than  the  vote  that  was  cast  in  the  presidential  election  following. 
Thus  ended  this  most  remarkable  contest.    Governor  Coles  rendered 
an  inestimable  service  to  the  State  and  nation  by  his  course  of 
action  on  this  question.     One  of  the  former  judges  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court,  John  D.  Caton,  in  an  address  made  in  court  some 
time  in  the  80's,  said  of  Governor  Coles,  that  for  his  conspicuous 
service  while  Governor,  we  owe  to  him  "a  debt  of  gratitude  that  can 
never  be  repaid;"  that  he  saved  then  and  forever  this  great  State 
•"from  the  black  curse  of  African  slavery." 

It  will  be  well  for  the  people  of  this  time,  when  they  are  dis- 
couraged because  of  the  evils  of  today,  to  realize  more  fully  than  the 
most  of  us  do,  the  terrible  effects  of  negro  slavery  in  this  State  and 
nation  at  the  time  that  Coles  was  Governor  of  Illinois.  The  so- 
called  "Black  Laws"  upon  our  statutes  were  as  severe  as  in  most 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  281 

of  the  southern  states.  Under  these  laws  every  black  person  was 
practically  assumed  to  be  a  slave  unless  he  could  prove  to  the  con- 
trary. Mr.  Elihu  B.  Washburne,  in  speaking  of  this  "Black  Code" 
of  Illinois,  states,  that  it  was  "one  of  the  most  infamous  and  bar- 
barous enactments  that  ever  disgraced  a  civilized  state."  (Wash- 
burne's  Administration  of  Coles,  p.  238.)  The  animosities  which 
arose  against  Governor  Coles  by  his  stand  in  this  contest,  did  not 
die  out  at  the  close  of  his  administration.  The  Legislature  in  1819 
enacted  a  law  providing  a  penalty  against  any  one  bringing  into  the 
State  of  Illinois  free  colored  people  without  giving  a  certain  bond 
required  by  that  act.  (Illinois  Session  Laws  1819,  p.  354.) 
Before  the  convention  election  in  1824,  a  suit  was  instituted  in 
Madison  County  in  the  name  of  the  county  against  Governor 
Coles  to  recover  penalties  against  him  under  this  act  for  bringing 
his  former  slaves,  after  they  were  freed,  into  the  State.  Before 
a  final  decision  was  reached  on  this  litigation  in  the  trial  court, 
the  Legislature  passed  a  law  releasing  all  penalties  incurred 
under  it,  including  those  sought  to  be  recovered  in  this  action 
against  Coles.  The  trial  court  entered  judgment  for  $2,000  in  favor 
of  Madison  County  and  refused  to  remit  the  penalties  as  required 
by  the  Eepealing  Act.  The  cause  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  and  was  there  reversed.  (Coles  v.  County  of  Madison, 
1  111.  p.  154.)  Criminal  proceedings  were  also  brought  against 
Governor  Coles  growing  out  of  certain  of  his  acts  on  the  slavery 
question,  but  these  criminal  proceedings  were  dismissed  without 
trial  over  the  Governor's  protest.  These  "Black  Laws"  permitting 
voluntary  slavery  under  the  indenture  system,  remained  in  force  in 
this  State  until  repealed  by  the  State  Legislature  in  1865,  at  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  Certain  provisions  in  these  laws  were  held 
constitutional  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  in  1864  in  Nelson 
v.  People,  33  111.  390.  This  litigation  grew  out  of  a  proceeding 
against  a  mulatto,  named  Nelson,  under  a  law  which  provided  that 
any  negro,  bond  or  free,  who  should  come  into  the  State  and  remain 
for  a  period  of  ten  days  with  the  intention  of  permanently  settling 
here,  should  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor  and  upon  convic- 
tion, in  case  he  failed  to  pay  the  fine  imposed  upon  him,  should  be 
sold  at  public  auction  by  the  sheriff  of  the  county,  and  that  the 


282 

sheriff,  from  the  proceeds  of  such  sale,  should  pay  the  fine  and  costs 
and  the  purchaser  should  be  entitled,  for  a  certain  length  of  time, 
in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  the  fine,  to  the  services  of  the  negro. 
I  doubt  if  such  a  law  would  be  held  constitutional  at  the  present 
time.  The  vital  question  in  that  slavery  struggle  was  the  same 
as  it  is  now  in  this  great  world  war :  whether  every  individual  shall 
be  free  and  shall  have  a  part  in  the  government,  or  shall  be  gov- 
erned "from  Potsdam/'  As  Lincoln  said  later,  in  discussing  the 
slavery  question:  "The  real  issue  in  this  country  is  the  eternal 
struggle  between  these  two  principles — right  and  wrong — through- 
out the  world.  They  are  the  two  principles  that  have  stood  face 
to  face  from  the  beginning  of  time,  and  will  ever  continue  to 
struggle.  The  one  is  the  common  right  of  humanity,  and  the 
other,  the  divine  right  of  kings.  It  is  the  same  principle  in  what- 
ever shape  it  develops  itself.  It  is  the  same  spirit  that  says,  'You 
work  and  toil  and  earn  bread  and  I'll  eat  it.'  'J 

If  the  Centennial  celebration,  serves  no  other  useful  purpose, 
it  will  result  in  good  in  bringing  before  the  people  of  the  State 
a  somewhat  more  vivid  realization  of  the  life  and  work  of  Governor 
Coles.  I  understand  that  under  the  auspices  of  the  Centennial 
Commission  there  will  soon  be  republished  the  biography  of  Gov- 
ernor Coles  written  by  former  Congressman  Elihu  B.  Washburne, 
who,  during  the  Civil  War,  stood  as  the  backer  and  sponsor  of 
General  Grant  and  who  afterwards  served  in  Paris  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  War,  as  our  Minister  to  France.  When  this  book 
is  reprinted,  I  hope  every  student  and  lover  of  liberty  will  read  it 
with  care  and  every  one  who  does  so,  will  be  well  repaid.* 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  recall  that  Governor 
Coles  had  as  one  of  his  aides,  Col.  William  S.  Hamilton,  a  son  of 
Gen.  Alexander  Hamilton;  that  Governor  Coles  sent  Hamilton  as 
his  special  messenger  to  meet  General  LaFayette  at  St.  Louis,  at 
the  time  LaFayette  made  his  visit  to  this  country  in  1825. 
Colonel  Hamilton  met  LaFayette  at  St.  Louis  and  arranged  with 
him  for  a  reception  in  his  honor  at  Kaskaskia,  where  Governor 
Coles  made  the  address  of  welcome — the  reception  being  attended 
and  participated  in  by  practically  all  the  men  prominent  in  the 

*  Published  as  the  Centennial  volume  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  S>- 
ciety  as  Volume  Xo.  15   Illinois  Historical  Collections. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  283 

west  at  that  time.  Former  Governor  Eeynolds  states  in  his  biog- 
raphy, entitled  "My  Own  Times,"  that  General  LaFayette  was 
escorted  from  Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia  and  from  thence  to  Shawnee- 
town  where  the  party  embarked  for  Nashville  in  a  boat  chartered 
by  the  State  and  that  LaFayette  returned  from  Nashville  up  the 
Ohio  where  he  had  a  reception  at  Shawneetown  on  his  second  visit. 
A  history  of  Fayette  County  is  to  the  same  effect.  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  Governor  Eeynolds  is  incorrect  in  his  statement  that 
LaFayette  came  to  Vandalia.  So  far  as  I  can  verify  from  the 
records  after  the  reception  in  Kaskaskia,  LaFayette  accompanied 
by  Governor  Coles,  returned  down  the  Mississippi  to  Nashville  and 
then  went  from  Nashville  up  the  Ohio,  stopping  for  a  reception  at 
Shawneetown,  where  I  think  Governor  Coles  left  him,  returning 
across  the  State  to  Vandalia.  LaFayette's  private  secretary  (Levas- 
seur)  writing  an  account  of  this  visit  to  America,  states  that  they 
went  down  the  Mississippi  Eiver  from  Kaskaskia.  The  files  of  the 
Illinois  Intelligencer,  published  in  this  city  in  1825,  owned  by  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Society,  made  no  mention  of  LaFayette's 
visiting  Vandalia,  so  it  seems  quite  certain  from  that  lack  of  men- 
tion and  from  the  other  authorities  available,  that  Governor 
Eeynolds  in  his  recollection  was  wrong  in  saying  that  LaFayette 
came  to  Vandalia.  Fayette  County  was  named  after  LaFayette. 

In  investigating  the  early  history  of  Illinois  with  reference  to 
this  city  while  it  was  the  capital  of  the  State,  I  have  run  on  to 
many  things  of  interest  to  me,  that  I  am  sure  might  interest  most 
of  you,  but  time  will  permit  only  a  brief  reference  to  some  of  the 
most  striking  of  these  things.  Earlier  I  referred,  briefly,  to  the 
fact  that  probably  one  of  the  reasons  for  the  agitation  as  to  remov- 
ing the  capital  from  Vandalia,  grew  out  of  the  lack  and  difficulties 
of  proper  transportation  to  and  from  this  city.  In  one  of  the 
historical  reviews  of  the  first  years  of  Illinois  I  find  a  statement 
that  in  1822  it  cost  $151.82  to  make  a  trip  from  Vandalia  to 
Shawneetown  and  return,  the  round  trip  requiring  fourteen  days. 
(Boggess,  Settlement  of  Illinois,  p.  150.)  The  same  author  says 
in  the  same  work  (p.  161),  that  in  1820  the  charge  for  carrying 
either  baggage  or  persons  from  Baltimore  to  Wheeling  was  $5  to 
$7  per  hundred  weight  and  that  persons  wishing  to  travel  cheaply 


284  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

had  their  luggage  transported,  while  they  walked.  In  1831  stage 
lines  were  used  to  convey  passengers  from  the  principal  points  in 
this  State  to  other  localities.  Once  a  week  a  stage  went  to  Van- 
dalia  from  St.  Louis  by  way  of  Edwardsville  and  Greenville. 
(Pooley  on  Settlement  of  Illinois,  p.  357.)  Vandalia  in  those 
days  seems  to  have  been  the  diverging  point  from  which  mails 
were  sent  out  in  nearly  every  direction,  southeast  to  Vincennes, 
Ind. ;  south  to  Mount  Vernon  in  'this  State ;  southwest  to  Carlyle ; 
northwest  to  Hillsboro,  Taylorville,  Jacksonville  and  Beardstown; 
northeast  to  Shelbyville.  (Eoss'  Souvenir,  p.  33.)  Another  writer 
says  that  the  stage  fare  in  the  early  30's  in  this  State  was  ordinarily 
6  cents  a  mile.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  a  dollar  meant 
much  more  then  than  at  present.  The  want  of  good  roads  at  this 
time  across  the  country  was  very  great.  Much  costly  work,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  United  States  Congress,  had  been  done  in  the 
early  30's  upon  the  national  road  extending  in  Illinois  from  oppo- 
site Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  to  Vandalia.  This  was  as  far  as  the  national 
road  was  constructed.  Aside  from  this,  while  a  number  of  State 
roads  were  established  connecting  the  principal  towns — which  were 
used  for  mail  and  stage  routes — but  little  labor  or  money  was  ex- 
pended upon  them,  none  of  the  smaller,  and  only  a  few  of  the 
larger,  streams  being  bridged.  (1  Moses,  111.  History,  p.  388.) 
On  one  occasion,  Judges  Wilson  and  Lockwood  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  and  Attorney  Henry  Eddy,  were  traveling  by 
horseback  from  Carmi  to  Vandalia — a  distance  of  sixty  miles — 
when  they  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  of  wind,  sleet  and  snow,  and 
after  traveling  all  day  they  became  so  fatigued  that  they  were  un- 
able to  proceed  farther;  so  they  tied  their  horses  and  spread  a 
blanket  on  the  ground  near  a  fallen  tree  and  sat  down  close  together 
to  obtain  as  much  warmth  as  possible  by  contact  with  each  other 
and  thus  spent  the  rest  of  the  dismal  night;  then  they  proceeded 
in  the  morning  half  frozen  and  on  reaching  the  Kaskaskia  Eiver, 
opposite  Vandalia,  about  noon,  they  found  its  banks  full  to  over- 
flowing. There  being  no  other  alternative,  they  plunged  in  and 
swam  their  horses  over,  riding  into  town  about  "used  up." 
Judge  Lockwood,  who  had  long  been  in  delicate  health,  feared 
that  the  exposures  of  this  trip  might  be  fatal,  but  strange  to  relate, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  285 

he  suffered  no  evil  consequences,  thereafter  enjoying  better  health 
than  he  had  for  years.  (1  Moses  111.  Note,  p.  389.)  Mani- 
festly, as  costly  as  we  think  travel  is  in  these  war  times,  it  is  much 
less  costly  and  far  more  comfortable  and  more  rapid  than  in  those 
days  when  Vandalia  was  the  State  Capital. 

Many  of  the  earlier  settlers  in  the  southern  part  of  this  State 
came  by  the  water  route  down  the  Ohio  Eiver  and  up  the  Missis- 
sippi, and,  so  far  as  possible,  up  the  rivers  in  this  State.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  first  Constitutional  Con- 
vention attempted  to  locate  the  permanent  capital  on  the  Kaskaskia 
Eiver  was  because  they  thought  it  would  be  more  easily  reached 
by  the  water  route  than  any  other  way.  I  have  found  in  a  copy 
of  one  of  the  first  magazines  published  in  this  State,  called  the 
"Illinois  Magazine,"  edited  and  conducted  by  James  Hall,  at  one 
time  one  of  the  circuit  judges  of  this  State,  (this  magazine  being 
published  at  one  time,  I  understand,  in  Vandalia),  an  article  in 
the  January  1832  number,  on  Vandalia,  in  which  there  is  discussed 
at  some  length  the  location  of  Vandalia  and  its  advantages.  It 
states  that  the  city  is  about  100  miles  by  land  from  the  junctior 
of  the  Kaskaskia  River  with  the  Mississippi  and  314  miles  by  the 
river  route;  that  this  stream  was  destined  to  be  one  of  the  most 
useful  in  the  State;  that  it  was  navigable  for  steamboats  for  six 
months  in  the  year;  that  in  high  water,  there  was  not  a  single 
obstruction  in  its  whole  course,  except  such  as  are  created  by  logs 
and  trees  falling  accidentally  into  the  river;  that  these  at  that 
time  had  all  been  removed  as  far  up  as  23  miles  north  of  Carlyle, 
and  that  the  river  might  be  navigated  to  that  point ;  that  at  a  small 
expense  the  river  could  be  made  navigable  to  Shelbyville,  forty 
miles  by  land  north  of  Vandalia.  Certain  points  other  than  Van- 
dalia that  sought  the  location  of  the  State  Capital  at  the  time 
Vandalia  was  chosen,  urged  as  one  of  their  advantages  the  navi- 
gability of  this  river  at  such  points.  (See  111.  Centennial  History, 
Preliminary  Vol.  111.  in  1818,  pp.  287,  288.)  We  think  this  glow- 
ing account  of  the  navigability  of  the  Kaskaskia  Eiver  was  some- 
what overdrawn.  Eoss  in  his  history  of  this  city  refers  to  an  ac- 
count of  one  Lee  taking  two  flat  boats  on  the  Kaskaskia  Eiver 
loaded  with  produce  down  the  Kaskaskia  and  Mississippi  Eivers 


286 

to  New  Orleans  as  if  it  was  an  uncommon  occurrence,  and  while 
I  have  no  doubt  that  in  the  early  history  of  this  State  it  was  sup- 
posed that  the  Kaskaskia  was  going  to  be  made  a  navigable  river 
by  the  improvements  that  would  be  made  by  public  authorities,  I 
question  whether  the  Kaskaskia  was  ever  really  navigable  for  steam- 
boats up  to  this  point,  as  indicated  in  the  magazine  edited  by  Judge 
Hall. 

Quite  a  prominent  feature  of  the  legislation  of  this  State  while 
the  capital  was  located  at  Vandalia,  was  the  attempt  to  make  the 
people  rich  by  legislation.  In  1821  the  Illinois  State  Bank  was 
created  with  a  capital  of  a  half  a  million  dollars.  The  principal 
bank  was  located  here  at  Vandalia,  with  branches  well  distributed 
at  Edwardsville,  Brownsville,  Shawneetown  and  the  county  seat  of 
Edwards  County.  Each  county  in  the  State  was  entitled  to  a 
director,  who,  with  the  bank  officers,  were  to  be  elected  by  the  Legis- 
lature. Three  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  paper  money  was  issued 
by  this  bank.  The  result  of  the  creation  of  this  bank  and  the 
issuing  of  this  money  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  State  was  very 
damaging;  the  community  as  a  whole  suffered  greatly  by  this  un- 
wise legislation.  Perhaps  even  more  unwise  than  the  attempt  to 
make  the  State  rich  by  issuing  bank  paper,  so  as  to  increase  busi- 
ness by  the  circulation  of  paper  money,  was  the  attempt  to  make 
public  improvements  through  lottery  schemes;  thus,  the  navigation 
of  the  Wabash  River  at  the  Grand  Eapids,  near  Palmyra,  by  the 
digging  of  a  canal,  was  attempted  to  be  promoted  and  brought 
about  by  a  lottery.  Other  like  schemes  with  similar  objects  were 
undertaken  with  reference  to  draining  ponds,  building  levees  and 
the  reclamation  of  lands  on  the  American  bottoms.  All  of  those 
schemes  failed  miserably  because  they  were  not  based  upon  sound 
business  principles.  (Davidson  &  Stuve's  History  of  111.  pp.  304, 
307.) 

One  of  the  most  interesting  things  that  has  come  to  my  atten- 
tion concerning  Vandalia  in  reading  on  Illinois  history,  is  in  refer- 
ence to  the  first  church  bell  that  was  hung  in  a  Protestant  Church 
in  Illinois.  This  bell  was  presented  to  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  this  city  in  1830  by  Romulus  Riggs — a  wealthy  merchant  of 
Philadelphia.  He  had  extensive  business  dealings  in  Illinois  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  287 

became  the  owner  of  a  large  quantity  of  farm  land  in  the  so-called 
Military  Tract  in  this  State.  In  1830,  on  the  birth  of  a  daughter, 
to  whom  he  gave  the  name  "Illinois/'  he  presented  this  bell  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Vandalia  and  it  bore  the  inscription: 
"Illinois  Biggs  to  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Vandalia, 
1830."  Illinois  Biggs  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  a  large  family. 
Her  father  left  her  by  his  will  a  large  interest  in  much  of  his  land 
in  this  State,  and  the  lawyers  here  and  those  who  study  curious 
events  in  our  history,  will  be  interested  in  learning  that  there  is 
now  considerable  litigation  going  on  in  various  counties  in  the 
Military  Tract  with  reference  to  the  ownership  of  some  of  this  land 
left  by  the  will  of  Bomulus  Biggs  to  his  daughter,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Biggs,  unwisely,  as  many  other  wealthy  men  have  done,  attempted 
to  put  certain  minute  restrictions  in  his  will  as  to  where  the  title 
to  this  land  should  go  after  his  death  and  this  has  resulted  in 
leaving  the  title  to  much  valuable  land  in  several  counties  in  this 
State  in  an  uncertain  condition.  This  litigation,  I  am  told,  will 
continue  for  some  years  before  it  is  finally  settled. 

During  the  early  settlement  of  this  State  attempts  were  made 
in  certain  sections  to  locate  colonies.  In  this  State,  under  the 
leadership  of  Birkbeck  and  Flower,  an  English  colony  was  located 
in  Edwards  County  near  Albion.  Several  other  colonies  were 
located  at  different  points  in  the  State  by  the  Germans  and  English. 
In  1819,  Ferdinand  Ernst,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  literary 
ability,  came  from  Hanover,  Germany,  to  this  country  leading  a 
colony  of  thirty  families.  They  settled  in  or  near  Vandalia,  soon 
after  this  city  was  chosen  as  the  capital.  It  appears  that  they  pur- 
chased some  of  the  first  lots  that  were  sold  after  Vandalia  was  sub- 
divided, and  some  of  the  members  of  this  colony  were  leading  citi- 
zens of  this  city  for  years.  Their  leader,  Mr.  Ernst,  died  within 
a  short  time  after  he  settled  here  and  his  heirs  decided  to  return 
to  their  former  home.  Ernst  and  his  wife,  in  1821,  had  purchased 
certain  lots  in  this  city  and  had  given  their  notes,  secured  by  mort- 
gage, for  the  unpaid  purchase  price.  The  notes  and  mortgage  were 
not  paid  when  due  and  the  mortgage  was  foreclosed  in  accordance 
with  the  procedure  in  vogue  at  that  time.  In  1823  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  relieving  the  estate  of  Ernst  from  the  payment  of 


288  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

this  obligation.  (Session  Laws  of  1823,  p.  177.)  The  trial  court 
held  that  this  act  did  not  release  the  Ernst  estate  from  the  payment 
of  the  obligation.  The  Supreme  Court,  Judge  John  Reynolds  writ- 
ing the  opinion,  reversed  the  trial  court's  decision  and  held  that 
the  legislative  act  was  valid  and  that  the  Ernst  estate  was  .relieved 
from  the  payment  of  the  obligation  due  the  State  of  Illinois. 
(Ernst  Administration  v.  State  Bank,  1  111.  p.  86.) 

Illinois,  as  one  of  the  five  states  created  out  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,  has  had  a  great  history.  Some  of  its  citizens  have  been 
foremost  leaders  in  national  affairs.  Never  in  its  history  did  it 
have  men  more  worthy  of  confidence  and  respect  than  during  the 
time  that  Vandalia  was  the  State  Capital.  The  Tenth  General 
Assembly,  which  convened  here  in  Vandalia,  December  5,  1836, 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  bodies  of  law  makers  ever  assembled 
in  this  or  any  other  State;  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  roll  of 
any  other  legislative  body  ever  included  so  many  names  destined  to 
become  leaders  of  this  nation.  Among  its  members  were  included 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  six  future  United  States 
Senators,  eight  members  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives, 
a  secretary  of  the  interior,  three  judges  of  the  State  Supreme 
Court,  and  seven  State  officers.  Among  them  were  not  only  Lin- 
coln and  Douglas,  but  Edward  D.  Baker,  who,  thereafter,  repre- 
sented Illinois  and  then  Oregon  in  Congress  and  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  while  leading  his  regiment  at  Ball's  Bluff;  0.  H.  Brown- 
ing, afterwards  U.  S.  Senator  and  a  member  of  President  Johnson's 
cabinet ;  William  L.  D.  Ewing,  who  had  just  completed  his  service 
in  the  U.  S.  Senate;  John  Logan,  father  of  the  late  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan;  Richard  N.  Cullom,  father  of  the  late  Senator  Cullom; 
John  A.  McClernand,  afterward  member  of  Congress  and  a  noted 
general  in  the  Civil  War ;  Gen.  James  Shields,  Col.  John  J.  Hardin, 
James  Semple,  who  was  elected  Speaker  of  that  House  and  after- 
wards served  as  judge  of  the  State  Supreme  Court  and  United 
States  Senator;  Augustus  C.  French,  afterwards  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois ;  Usher  P.  Linder,  at  one  time  Attorney  General  of  the  State, 
and  others.  (1  Moses  History  of  111.  p.  407.)  Other  leaders  in 
State  affairs  during  the  time  Vandalia  was  the  capital  were  also 
prominent  in  national  affairs.  Mnian  Edwards,  the  first  and  only 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  289 

Territorial  Governor,  before  he  was  appointed  to  that  office,  was 
Chief  Justice  of  the  highest  court  of  review  of  Kentucky.  Edwards 
was  one  of  the  first  United  States  Senators  from  this  State  and  the 
third  Governor  of  the  State  and  his  correspondence,  published  after 
his  death  by  his  son,  Ninian  Wirt  Edwards — (who  was  one  of  the 
members  of  the  Legislature  from  Springfield  at  the  time  the  Capital 
was  removed  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield)  shows  that  Governor 
Edwards  was  well  acquainted  with  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
country,  who  sought  his  advice  on  the  public  questions  of  the  day. 

In  studying  the  early  history  of  Illinois,  I  have  been  impressed 
more  and  more  with  the  fact  that  then,  as  now,  in  a  State  like 
ours,  public  opinion  has  great  influence  in  guiding  and  controlling 
officials  in  their  duties.  Lincoln  was  right  when  he  said  at  the 
Ottawa  Debate  with  Douglas,  that  in  a  popular  government  like 
ours,  public  opinion  is  the  most  powerful  weapon;  that  it  is  more 
influential  than  the  legislatures  or  the  courts;  that  it  can  make 
and  unmake  the  legislative  acts  or  the  decisions  of  the  courts.  A 
great  English  writer  has  stated  that  the  legislature  in  their  enact- 
ments represent  the  public  opinion  of  yesterday,  while  the  decisions 
of  the  courts  represent  the  public  opinion  of  day  before  yesterday. 
I  am  disposed  to  think  that  in  the  long  run  public  opinion  will 
influence,  directly  or  indirectly,  not  only  the  legislature  but  the 
courts,  on  great  public  questions.  The  historian  Von  Hoist,  in 
writing  the  constitutional  history  of  this  country,  stated,  in  regard 
to  the  course  of  the  Federal  Supreme  Court  with  reference  to  the 
slavery  question,  that  it  was  found  that  that  court  did  not  stand 
on  that  question  like  the  rock  of  Gibraltar,  resisting  all  influence, 
or  change  as  public  opinion  changed,  but  rather  its  actions  were 
fairly  represented  by  the  action  of  a  great  glacier  moving  slowly 
down  a  valley  formed  by  public  opinion  and  conforming  to  the 
shape  of  the  valley  as  it  moved. 

In  this  great  world-struggle  in  which  our  nation  is  engaged, 
it  is  therefore  important  that  public  opinion  should  be  right  on  the 
great  questions  that  caused  this  world  war. 


—19  C  C 


THE    OBSERVANCE    OF    THE    CENTENARY    OF    THE 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  STATE  GOVERNMENT, 

OCTOBER  5-6,  1918 

The  official  Centennial  Celebration  held  at  the  State  Capital 
on  October  4th,  5th  and  6th,  was  one  of  the  most  impressive  obser- 
vances of  the  entire  Centennial  Year. 

On  Friday  evening,  October  4th,  "The  Masque  of  Illinois,"  by 
Wallace  Rice,  was  given  in  the  Coliseum,  at  the  State  Fair  Grounds, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  in  co- 
operation with  the  Sangamon  County  Centennial  Committee.  The 
production  was  given  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Frederick 
Bruegger,  Pageant  Master  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission. 
The  cast  included  more  than  one  thousand  characters.  The  story 
of  Illinois  was  portrayed  in  a  most  artistic  and  beautiful  manner, 
culminating  in  a  thrilling,  patriotic  appeal.  The  production  was 
repeated  on  Saturday  evening,  October  5th,  and  on  both  evenings 
the  capacity  of  the  Coliseum  was  taxed  to  the  utmost.  There  was 
a  nominal  charge  for  seats,  the  entire  proceeds  being  turned  over 
to  the  Eed  Cross. 

At  10  :30  Saturday  morning,  October  5th,  the  cornerstone  of 
the  Centennial  Memorial  Building  was  formally  laid  by  Governor 
Lowden,  Lieutenant  Governor  John  G.  Oglesby  presiding.  A 
copper  box  was  placed  in  the  cornerstone.  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer 
Weber,  Secretary  of  the  Centennial  Commission  read  a  list  of  the 
articles  and  papers  which  the  box  contained.  The  ceremonies  were 
brief  but  very  impressive.  Among  those  present  at  this  ceremony, 
and  at  the  dedicatory  services  following,  were  Lord  Charnwood  of 
England,  Honorable  Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  of 
the  United  States,  and  Mrs.  Daniels,  the  State  Executive  Officers, 
Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  members  of  the  Legislature,  mem- 
bers of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission,  and  many  other  persons 
prominent  in  public  life. 

290 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  291 

Governor  Lowden,  in  his  address  urged  preparation  for  a 
great  future  in  the  new  century  of  the  State.  He  said : 

"Mr.  Daniels,  Lord  Charnwood,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  We 
have  just  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  This  building  when  it  is  completed  will 
contain  the  archives  and  the  memorials  of  the  first  century  of  our 
existence  as  a  State.  That  century  is  full  of  inspiration  and  en- 
couragement for  the  future,  and  today  the  sons  of  Illinois,  on  a 
score  of  battlefields  are  writing  new  chapters  in  devotion  and 
patriotism,  and  are  proving  themselves  in  every  way  worthy  of  the 
mighty  past. 

"This  building,  therefore,  while  it  will  enshrine  the  past,  will 
also  be  a  shelter  for  the  present,  and  an  inspiration  to  the  future, 
and  as  our  fathers  disdained  no  task,  however  humble,  as  they,  in 
their  creation  of  a  great  commonwealth  out  of  nothing,  met  the 
simplest  and  homliest  duties  of  the  hour,  so  we  today  must  not 
refrain  from  doing  some  of  the  prosaic  things  which  we  must  do, 
if  we  are  to  build  another  century  of  greatness  for  Illinois. 

"I  presume  to  say  on  this  occasion  to  the  people  of  Illinois, 
that  in  my  judgment,  we  shall  not  begin  the  new  century  fittingly 
unless  we  shall  embrace  the  opportunity  presented  to  us,  and  make, 
as  the  beginning  of  the  new  century,  a  new  Constitution  for  Illi- 
nois, a  comprehensive  system  of  permanent  highways  for  Illinois, 
and  shall  remove  the  reproach  of  harboring  financial  institutions 
within  our  borders  that  have  been  built  up  by  preying  upon  the 
weak  and  helpless  of  our  State. 

"And  so  I  might  say  that  we  shall  have  a  task — a  task  greater 
than  I  can  define — if  we  are  to  live  up  to  the  traditions  of  these 
past  hundred  years,  and  let  us  look  upon  this  cornerstone  which 
we  lay  today,  not  simply  as  a  cornerstone  of  this  Memorial  Build- 
ing, but  also  as  a  cornerstone  of  a  century  of  freedom  and  progress 
and  greatness,  such  as  made  the  century  which  we  are  closing 
today." 

At  11 :00  a.  m.,  the  statue  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  by  Gilbert 
P.  Riswold,  erected  on  the  Capitol  Grounds,  was  dedicated.  Dr. 
Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission 
acted  as  chairman,  and  introduced  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  as 


292  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

the  presiding  officer.  The  principal  address  was  given  by  Honor- 
able Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

In  introducing  Secretary  Daniels,  Governor  Lowden  said : 

"Today  is  indeed  a  historic  one.  We  are  closing  the  doors  of 
our  first  century,  and  opening  those  of  our  second,  and  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly appropriate  that  on  this  day  we  dedicate  two  statues,  in 
memory  of  the  two  men,  who,  political  rivals  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  always  remained  friends,  and  who,  in  the  last 
years  of  their  lives  became  united  in  one  patriotic  passion  for  the 
preservation  of  their  country. 

"And  whoever  speaks  the  name  of  Lincoln  must  always  think 
of  his  great  political  antagonist,  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  We  should 
teach  our  children  that  when  they  have  visited  the  monument  to 
Lincoln's  memory  in  Springfield — and  I  want  to  remind  you  that 
pilgrimages  to  that  sacred  tomb  are  being  made  oftener  and  oftener 
all  the  time  from  all  the  world — he  should  turn  from  that  and 
visit  the  tomb  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  upon  the  borders  of  our  in- 
land lake,  and  read  above  his  dust  his  last  words:  'Tell  my  chil- 
dren to  obey  the  laws  and  uphold  the  Constitution.' 

"But  today  my  duty  is  simply  to  present  to  you  one  who  will 
adequately  speak  of  that  great  man  of  our  first  century,  and  it 
seems  to  me  fitting,  before  I  introduce  this  distinguished  gentle- 
man, that  I  should  say  one  word  of  what  our  navy,  and  the  navies 
of  the  world,  are  doing  in  this  great  crisis  of  our  nation's  life, 
because  we  are  all  familiar  with  the  heroic  exploits  of  our  soldiers 
by  land;  we  know  that  they  have  been  winning  anew  for  Illinois, 
and  for  the  United  States,  new  glory;  we  know  that  whatever  the 
doubts  of  the  pessimists  have  been,  that  the  young  manhood  of 
America  is  proving  itself  worthy  of  the  best  traditions  of  the  past. 

"~But  we  do  not  hear  so  much  of  the  navy.  They  are  obscured 
in  the  mists  of  the  sea,  guarding  silently  and  effectively  our  country, 
and  the  countries  of  the  Allies,  and  though  they  are  less  in  the 
public  view,  they  are  none  the  less  efficient,  they  are  none  the  less 
entitled  to  the  love  and  gratitude,  than  our  soldiers  of  the  battle 
front. 

"Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  navies  of  the  Allies  dominate 
the  waters  of  the  earth.  I  think  I  learned  that  three  quarters  of 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  293 

the  surface  of  the  globe  consists  of  water.  They  are  guarding 
those  waters  that  the  skies  above  them  may  be  free  for  the  flags  of 
liberty  and  civilization  during  all  this  time. 

"Only  a  day  or  two  ago  I  read  in  a  book  of  our  torpedo  de- 
stroyers this  interesting  incident.  It  appeared  that  Secretary 
Daniels,  some  month  ago — many  months  ago — had  sent  a  particular 
fleet  of  destroyers  across  the  sea.  The  voyage  for  little  ships  of  that 
kind  was  a  great  voyage,  bringing  a  great  strain,  as  was 'supposed, 
upon  these  little  vessels,  and  when  their  commander  reported  at  the 
naval  base  to  the  British  Admiral  who  was  in  charge,  he  graciously 
said  to  their  commander,  'You  may  have  two  days,  or  three  days, 
or  four  days  to  get  ready  for  action/  because  he>knew  of  the  strain 
which  they  had  withstood,  and  he  asked  the  commander  of  the 
flotilla  how  long  a  time  he  required  to  be  ready,  and  his  answer 
was :  'we  are  ready  now,  sir/ 

"And  these  little  destroyers,  threading  in  and  out,  have  made, 
or  helped  to  make,  the  danger  zones  safe  for  the  transport  of 
American  soldiers,  and  American  munitions  of  war. 

"And  so  today  to  speak  upon  this  great  occasion,  and  upon 
this  great  theme,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  it  is  my  privilege  and  my 
honor  to  introduce  to  you,  Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
who  is  responsible  for  these  achievements  of  our  navy  in  this  war." 

In  his  address,  Secretary  Daniels  emphasized  particularly  the 
loyalty  with  which  Senator  Douglas  supported  President  Lincoln 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  He  eulogized  both  Lincoln  and 
Douglas,  and  drew  from  their  lives  lessons  for  the  present  great 
crisis. 

Little  Virginia  Adams  Douglas,  eight  years  of  age,  the 
daughter  of  Eobert  D.  Douglas,  of  Greensboro,  North  Carolina,  a 
grandson  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  placed  a  wreath  at  the  foot  of  the 
Douglas  statue  as  the  concluding  act  of  the  dedicatory  exercises. 

At  2  :30  in  the  afternoon  the  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  by 
Andrew  O'Conner,  erected  immediately  in  front  of  the  State 
Capitol,  was  dedicated  with  impressive  services,  the  principal  ad- 
dress being  given  by  Lord  Charnwood  of  England,  statesman, 
author,  and  a  life-long  student  of  Lincoln.  Lord  Charnwood  was 
introduced  by  Governor  Lowden. 


294  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman  of  the  Centennial  Commission, 
received  and  read  a  telegram  from  President  Woodrow  Wilson  con- 
gratulating the  State  of  Illinois  upon  the  achievements  of  its  first 
century  of  Statehood  and  expressing  regret  that  he  was  unable  to 
be  present  and  take  part  in  the  ceremonies. 

Other  features  of  the  program  were  the  recitation  of  Edwin 
Markham's  "Lincoln,  the  Man  of  the  People,"  by  Donald  Robert- 
son, an  address  by  Col.  Clarendon  E.  Adams,  National  Commander 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  representing  the  men  of 
1861-'65,  who  answered  Lincoln's  call  to  save  free  government  for 
the  world  when  the  life  of  this  nation  was  threatened,  and  Mr. 
Vachel  Lindsay  of  Springfield  recited  his  poem,  "Abraham  Lincoln 
Walks  at  Midnight  in  Springfield." 

The  exercises  were  closed  by  the  placing  of  a  wreath  on  the 
statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln  by  Miss  Florence  Lowden,  daughter  of 
Governor  Lowden. 

Sunday,  October  6th,  was  particularly  observed  in  Springfield, 
as  it  was  throughout  the  State,  as  Centennial  Sunday.  All  the 
churches  of  Springfield  held  special  services  in  the  morning. 

A  Field  Mass  in  commemoration  of  the  State's  Centennial 
was  held  on  the  grounds  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  Daughters  of  Isabella,  and 
was  attended  by  more  than  twenty  thousand  people.  Very  Reverend 
Timothy  Hickey,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  Springfield,  and  Vicar  General  of  the  Diocese  of  Alton, 
was  the  Celebrant.  Reverend  A.  Smith,  of  Franklin,  Illinois, 
delivered  the  Centennial  sermon.  Father  Smith  spoke  especially 
of  the  important  part  the  early  Catholics  had  in  the  exploration, 
development  and  settlement  of  Illinois. 

A  chorus  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  voices,  under  the  direction 
of  Reverend  J.  W.  Cummings,  of  Ohio,  Illinois,  sang  the  Farmers' 
Mass  in  B  Flat,  accompanied  by  an  orchestra.  The  Mass  was  pre- 
ceded by  a  parade  of  the  Catholic  Societies.  A  particular  feature 
of  this  service  was  the  reproduction  of  both  our  National  Emblem 
and  the  Centennial  Banner  as  living  flags.  More  than  five  hun- 
dred young  ladies,  dressed  in  red,  white  and  blue,  standing  on  a 
raised  amphitheater,  represented  the  stars  and  stripes  in  their 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  295 

proper  relation.  A  group  of  younger  girls  dressed  in  the  national 
blue  and  white  of  the  Centennial  banner  represented  that  emblem. 
In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  given  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  by 
the  Catholic  Societies.  Right  Rev.  Monsignor  D.  J.  Riordan  and 
Judge  John  P.  McGoorty,  of  Chicago,  were  the  speakers.  Rev- 
erend Frederic  Siedenburg,  S.  J.,  was  toastmaster.  Lord  Charn- 
wood  and  Robert  D.  Douglas  were  present,  and  spoke  briefly  as  did 
also  Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt,  chairman  and  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber, 
secretary  of  the  Centennial  Commission. 

In  the  afternoon  a  reception  was  held  at  the  Executive  Man- 
sion by  Governor  and  Mrs.  Lowden  in  honor  of  the  former  Gover- 
nors of  the  State,  and  their  descendants,  and  of  the  Centennial 
guests. 

Descendants  of  Governors  Bond,  Edwards,  Ford,  Carlin,  Bis- 
sell,  Oglesby,  Palmer  and  Tanner  were  present.  Mr.  Craig  Hood 
a  great  grandson  of  Governor  Bond  delivered  an  interesting  ad- 
dress. Governor  and  Mrs.  Lowden  and  their  daughter  Miss 
Florence  Lowden  received  the  guests. 

At  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  Patriotic  Union  Service  was 
held  at  the  State  Arsenal,  participated  in  by  representatives  of  all 
the  churches  of  the  city,  and  attended  by  more  than  five  thousand 
people.  A  brief  address  was  given  by  Lord  Charnwood  and  the 
sermon  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Z.  Barney  Phillips,  Rector  of  the  St. 
Peter's  Episcopal  Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  congregational 
singing  was  led  by  Mr.  William  Dodd  Chenery.  A  feature  of  the 
program  was  music  by  the  Colored  Centennial  Chorus  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  voices,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  J.  A.  Mun- 
day,  of  Chicago. 

The  weather  was  exceptionally  fine  which  added  greatly  to  the 
comfort  and  impressiveness  of  the  celebration. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS  FOR  OCTOBER  4-5-6,  1918 
FRIDAY,  OCTOBER  4,  1918 

4:00  to  6:00  P.  M. 

Reception  to  Sculptors  of  the  Lincoln  and  Douglas 

Statues  and  Centennial  Guests  by  the  Springfield 

Art  Association  at  Edwards  Place 


296  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

8 :15  P.  M. 
"The  Masque  of  Illinois/'  Coliseum,  State  Fair  Grounds 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  5,  1918 

10:30  A.  M. 
Laying  of  the  Cornerstone  of  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building 

11:00  A.  M. 

Dedication  of  the  statue  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
Address .By  the  Honorable  Josephus  Daniels 

Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy 

2:30  P.  M. 

Dedication  of  the  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
Address ; .By  Lord  Charnwood 

8:15  P.  M. 
"The  Masque  of  Illinois" 

SUNDAY,  OCTOBER  6,  1918 

10:30  A.  M. 

Field  Mass  on  the  grounds  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  Daughters  of  Isa- 
bella 

4:00  to  6:00  P.  M. 

Reception  at  Executive  Mansion  by  Governor  and  Mrs.  Lowden  in 
honor  of  former  Governors  of  the  State,  descendants  of  former 
Governors  and  the  Centennial  guests.  The  people  are  invited 
to  call  and  pay  respects  to  the  Governor  and  Mrs.  Lowden  and 
the  guests  at  this  time. 

7:00  P.  M. 
At  the  State  Arsenal,  Patriotic  Union  Service  under  the  auspices 

of  the   Illinois   Centennial   Commission  and  the   Springfield 

churches.     Choral  and  community  singing 
Sermon By  Eev.  Z.  Barney  Phillips  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  297 

PEOGEAM 
1818       ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  OBSEEVANCE       1918 

COMMEMORATION  OP  THE  CENTENARY 
OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

SATUEDAY  AND  SUNDAY, 
OCTOBEE  5,  6,  1918 

PEOGEAM 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  5,  1918 

10:30  A.  M. 

Laying  of  the  Cornerstone  of  the  Centennial  Memorial  Build- 
ing. .Lieutenant  Governor  John  G.  Oglesby,  Presiding  Officer 
Music — "Illinois" Led  by  Arthur  Kraft 

By  thy  rivers  gently  flowing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
O'er  thy  prairies  verdant  growing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Comes  an  echo  on  the  breeze, 
Eustling  thro'  the  leafy  trees, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these, 

Illinois. 

Not  without  thy  wondrous  story, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Can  be  writ  the  nation's  glory, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
On  the  record  of  thy  years, 
Ab'ram  Lincoln's  name  appears, 
Grant  and  Logan,  and  our  tears, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Grant  and  Logan,  and  our  tears, 

Illinois. 

Invocation Eev.  Eoyal  W.  Ennis 

Presentation  of  Honorary  Union  Card  to  Governor  Frank  0. 
Lowden.  .  .Frank  Cook,  President  Springfield  Masons'  Union 


298 

Laying  of  the  Cornerstone .  .By  Governor  Lowe 

Music— "The  Star  Spangled  Banner" Capital  City  Ba 

11:00  A.  M. 

Dedication  of  the  Statue  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
Chairman — Dr.   0.  L.   Schmidt,   Chairman  of  the  Illinois   Ci 

tennial  Commission 
Music — "The  Star  Spangled  Banner 

Invocation Kev.  Edgar  DeWitt  Jo] 

Music — Keller's  "American  Hymn" 

"Speed  our  Republic,  0  Father  on  high, 

Lead  us  in  pathways  of  justice  and  right; 
Eulers  as  well  as  the  ruled,  one  and  all, 
Gird  with  virtue,  the  armor  of  might ! 
Hail !  three  times  hail  to  our  country  and  flag ! 

Rulers  as  well  as  ruled,  one  and  all." 
Introduction  of  Gilbert  P.  Riswold,  the  Sculptor  of  the 

Douglas  Statue 
Song — Arthur  Kraft 

Presentation  of  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  as  Presiding  Offi< 
Remarks  by  Governor   Lowden,  introducing  the  Hon.  Joseph 
Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy 

Address — "Stephen  A.  Douglas" ,. .  . .  Secretary  Dani 

Music — "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic" 

A  wreath  will  then  be  placed  on  the  statue  of  Stephen  A.  Doug] 
by  bis  great  grand-daughter,  Virginia  Adams  Doughs 

Music — "The  Stars  and  Stripes  Forever" L  .Bai 

Luncheon  at  the  Leland  Hotel  by  the  Centennial  Commission 


honor  of  Governor  Lowden,  Secretary  Daniels,  Lord 
wood  and  invited  guests. 

2:30  P.  M. 

Dedication  of  Statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
Chairman — Dr.   0.   L.   Schmidt,   Chairman  of  the   Illino 


Char 


Ce 


tennial  Commission 

Invocation Rev.  J.  R.  Tiom 

Music — The  Centennial  Hymn,  "Our  Illinois". ....... .Ric 

Our  father's  God,  Thy  name  we  bless 

And  all  Thy  mercies  we  confess  with  solemn  joy; 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  299 

Our  prairies  rich  with  fruitful  loam, 
Our  rivers  singing  as  they  roam, 
The  happiness  that  is  our  home, 
Our  hope,  our  Illinois. 

Eulogy — "Lincoln,  The  Man  of  the  People,"  by  Edwin  Mark- 
ham.  .1. ... .,. .,. . . ... ...... ... ...  .Eecited  by  Donald  Eobertson 

Song — Arthur  Kraft 

introduction  of  Andrew  O'Connor,  the  Sculptor  of 

the  Lincoln  Statue 

Music— "The  Battle  Cry  of  Freedom" 

Presentation  of  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  as  Presiding  Officer 
Eemarks  by  Governor  Lowden,  introducing  Lord  Charnwood 

Address — "Abraham  Lincoln". .Lord  Charnwood 

Song — Arthur  Kraft 

Music — "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  are  Marching" .  . .  Eoot 

Address — Col.  Clarendon  E.  Adams,  National  Commander  Grand 

Army  of  the  Eepublic 
Music — "America" 
A  wreath  will  then  be  placed  on  the  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln 

by  Miss  Florence  Lowden 
Music — "The  Star  Spangled  Banner" 

PATRIOTIC  UNION  SEEVICE,  OCTOBEE  6,  1918 

UNDER  THE   AUSPICES    OP   THE 

ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

AND  THE 

SPEINGFIELD  CHUECHES 

EIGHT  O'CLOCK  P.  M.,  STATES  ARSENAL 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS 

PEOGEAM 
7:00  to  8:00  P.  M. 
Community  Singing: 

Under  direction  of  Mr.  William  Dodd  Chenery  assisted  by 
Mrs.  Frank  V.  Partridge,  soloist;  Mr.  E.  Albert  Guest, 
accompanist;  and  the  John  L.  Taylor  Orchestra. 

*  Mr.  O'Connor  was  unable  to  be  present. 


300  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  Colored  Centennial  Chorus: 

Under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  J.  A.  Mundy  and  A.  Meek 
will  sing  a  group  of  negro  folk  hymns  as  follows: 

"Deep  River." 

"Steal  Away/' 

"I  Couldn't  Hear  Nobody  Pray." 

"Swing  Low,  Sweet  Chariot." 

"Every  Time  I  Feel  the  Spirit." 

A  PEAYER  FOR  OUR  BOYS 

BY   HENRY   VAN   DYKE 

Most  Holy  Righteous  and  Mighty  Lord  God,  we  submit  our 
country's  cause  to  Thee,  and  we  commend  our  soldiers,  sailors  and 
aviators  to  Thy  guidance  and  keeping  in  this  war.  Protect  them 
amid  the  perils  of  the  sea  and  the  dangers  of  battle  in  a  far  land. 
Keep  them  sound  in  body,  pure  in  heart,  brave  in  spirit,  ever  loyal 
to  Thee  and  to  our  country.  Enable  them  to  do  valiant  service 
for  justice  and  freedom;  strengthen  them  while  they  fight  for  .the 
right;  comfort  and  succor  them  if  they  are  wounded,  and  if  they 
must  fall,  receive  them  into  eternal  rest.  But,  Oh  Most  Merciful 
Father,  we  beseech  Thee,  bring  these  our  sons  back  to  us,  with 
victory  on  their  banners,  with  peace  and  love  in  their  hearts. 
Accept  and  bless  their  sacrifice  and  ours,  Oh  Lord  Our  Strength 
and  Our  Redeemer.  Amen. 

ORDER  OF  SERVICE 
8:00  P.  M. 

THE   REV.    LESTER   LEAKE  RILBY 

Rector  of  Christ  Episcopal  Church,  Presiding 
Hymn— "The  Star  Spangled  Banner" 
Invocation The  Rev.  T.  N.  Ewing 

Pastor  First  M.  E.   Church 

Responsive  Reading — Isaiah  26  : 

Scripture  Reading — From  Samuel  II  :22,  and  Psalm  121.:..  . 

The  Rev.  I.  Mortimer  Bloom 

Minister  Temple  B'rith  Sholem 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  301 

Hymn — "Onward  Christian  Soldiers" 

Address i.  .Lord   Charnwood 

Solo — "Sancta  Maria" — Faure. ... .  .< iMrs.  Helen  Brown  Eead 

Hymn — "America  the  Beautiful" 

Prayer ., .The  Eev.  S.  Willis  McFadden 

Pastor  Second  Presbyterian  Church 

Sermon , < The  Eev.  Z.  Barney  Phillips 

Rector  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church,   St.  Louis,  Mo. 

America — (With  added  stanza) 

"God  save  our  splendid  men, 
Send  them  safe  home  again, 
God  save  our  men. 
Keep  them  victorious, 
Patient  and  chivalrous, 
They  are  so  dear  to  us. 
God  save  our  men." 

Benediction ,...,... The  Eev.  William  H.  Nicholas 

Pastor  Grace  Lutheran  Church 


ADDEESS  BY  HONOEABLE  JOSEPHUS  DANIELS, 

SECEETAEY  OF  THE  UNITED 

STATES  NAVY 

The  two  presidents  of  the  United  States  who  more  than  any 
other  have  typified  the  real  American  spirit  and  glorified  the  pro- 
duct of  the  frontier  in  the  days  of  adventure  and  development 
were  Andrew  Jackson  and  Abraham  Lincoln.  They  touched  the 
life  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  first  his  hero  and  his  political 
mentor  to  whose  teaching  he  gave  full  proof  of  loyal  allegiance; 
the  second  his  political  competitor  with  whom  he  contested  for 
high  honor,  winning  and  losing,  and  with  whom,  in  his  last  days, 
he  was  co-worker  in  the  preservation  of  the  indissoluble  union  of 
indestructible  states. 

Before  Jackson's  election  all  our  Presidents  came  out  of  the 
schools  of  Virginia  and  Massachusetts  and  either  in  culture  or  in 
views  illustrated  the  training  of  Old  England.  To  be  sure  they 
had  been  at  war  with  what  was  then  called  "the  Mother  Country" 
before,  out  of  all  the  stocks  of  Europe,  the  American  became  in 


302 

the  melting  pot  a  composite  of  mingled  blood  and  differing  faith 
and  the  varying  habits  of  all  nations  who  have  made  it  a  mighty 
republic. 

Jefferson  alone  of  them  all  lived  amid  the  foothills  of  the 
mountains  of  the  Old  Dominion  and  from  the  heights  of  Monti- 
cello  looked  toward  the  West  with  the  enthusiasm  and  faith  of  the 
seer.  He  saw  in  the  rolling  prairies  and  mountains,  then  just 
opening  to  settlement,  the  home  of  a  people  over  whom  a  free  air 
would  always  blow,  building  a  civilization  that  would  make  the 
republic  as  vast  in  territory  as  it  would  be  truly  democratic  in 
profession  and  in  practice  with  the  latch-string  on  the  outside,  an 
invitation  to  all  who  wished  to  live  in  the  atmosphere  of  equal 
opportunity. 

That  vision  caused  Jefferson  to  send  Lewis  and  Clark  on  the 
journey  of  discovery  where  they  trekked  to  the  extreme  west  where 
rolls  the  Oregon — but,  impatient  as  he  often  was  at  the  conven- 
tionalities in  the  seaboard  colonies  which  sometimes  fettered, 
cribbed  and  confined,  Jefferson's  education  was  not  different  from 
that  of  well-to-do  youths  of  English  birth. 

But  Jackson  was  the  very  incarnation  of  the  day  when  the 
West  caught  the  imagination  and  challenged  the  courage  of  young 
men  to  whom  achievement  is  valued  only  when  it  overcomes  ob- 
stacles. Born  in  the  Scotch-Irish  settlement  of  Waxhaw,  North 
Carolina,  before  he  attained  his  majority,  the  unconventional  and 
heroic  Jackson  began  his  journey  to  what  was  then  the  West — the 
unbroken  wildness  of  the  forests  of  western  North  Carolina,  where 
he  fought  his  duel,  established  his  fame  and  then  moved  on  until 
he  made  his  home  in  Tennessee,  the  farthermost  western  territory, 
into  which  men  of  adventurous  spirit  were  moving  from  what,  even 
then,  men  of  his  temperament  were  calling  "the  effete  east." 

In  this  congenial  atmosphere  Old  Hickory  became  the  central 
figure,  and  from  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  until  his  death  was  the 
dominant  figure  in  America. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  akin  to  Andrew  Jackson  in  his  early 
struggles,  his  unfettered  mind,  in  his  inflexible  purpose,  and  in  his 
devotion  to  the  Union  as  evidenced  by  Jackson's  vigorous  steps  to 
prevent  nullification,  and  Lincoln's  like  victory  over  secession. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  303 

Where  Jackson  was  a  torrent  of  passion  when  aroused  and  none 
could  stand  before  his  denunciation,  Lincoln  was  the  incarnation 
of  a  patience  born  of  power  which  was  invincible  and  unconquer- 
able. How  much  these  men  influenced  the  life  of  the  illustrious 
statesman  of  whom  I  am  to  speak  is  a  field  that  invites  speculation 
and  throws  light  upon  the  career  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 

All  youths  of  ambition  are  hero- worshipers.  To  the  youthful 
Douglas,  early  orphaned  and  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  cabinet 
maker,  the  commanding  and  picturesque  figure  of  Old  Hickory 
was  the  perfection  of  the  ideal  American.  Jackson's  career  as  a 
soldier  inspired  his  patriotism.  His  resolution  to  brook  no  opposi- 
tion to  his  well  conceived  plans  at  New  Orleans  by  arresting,  im- 
prisoning and  banishing  a  Federal  judge,  challenged  the  admiration 
of  the  youth  of  the  Green  Mountain  state,  and  his  defiance  of  power 
by  his  veto  of  the  charter  of  the  National  Bank  so  stirred  young 
Douglas  that  he  ever  regarded  Jackson  as  the  embodiment  of 
political  wisdom  and  sound  statesmanship. 

During  the  twenty-five  years  that  Mr.  Douglas  was  in  public 
life — and  he  held  almost  every  office  in  the  gift  of  the  people — 
he  followed  the  political  paths  blazed  by  Jackson,  and  was  never  so 
confident  of  the  correctness  of  his  position  as  when  he  felt  he  was 
taking  the  course  that  Jackson  would  have  followed.  Born  in  a 
far  eastern  state,  his  eyes  early  turned  toward  the  expanding  West, 
and,  like  his  great  exemplar,  he  made  his  home  on  the  frontiers 
of  the  American  settlement. 

The  rolling  prairies  called  him,  they  broadened  his  conception 
of  the  future  expansion  of  his  country,  and  he  became  as  truly 
western  as  though  his  eyes  had  first  opened  on  the  Father  of 
Waters.  The  career  of  Douglas,  like  that  of  Lincoln,  is  illustrative 
of  American  opportunity.  From  the  rude  cabin  to  the  most  ex- 
alted station  on  earth  is  the  epitome  of  Lincoln's  life — a  life  that 
has  beckoned  many  a  farmer  boy  to  diligence  and  to  study.  New 
England  training  made  Douglas  a  mechanic.  As  a  boy  he  was  a 
cabinet  maker,  and  his  greatness  has  been  an  incentive  to  the  youth 
to  labor  to  attain  skill  in  his  craft. 

Illinois  was  "the  west"  in  their  youth.  Its  rich  lands  were 
giving  reward  to  the  industry  of  the  farmer.  The  tide  of  immi- 


304  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

gration  from  Vermont  and  other  New  England  states,  and  from 
Kentucky  and  other  southern  states,  met  in  this  commonwealth,  al- 
ready conscious  of  the  coming  greatness,  which  the  new  settlers 
were  making  possible.  In  this  tide  of  on-coming  makers  of  a  state 
came  the  youthful  and  slender  Douglas,  with  enough  education  to 
become  a  teacher,  and  Lincoln  with  less  schooling,  but  with  a  latent 
power  which  was  to  give  him  immortal  fame.  Douglas  early  gave 
proof  of  the  eloquence  which  later  commanded  listening  senates. 
Lincoln  matured  more  slowly.  Both  were  nourished  under  the 
same  sky,  practiced  in  the  same  courts,  won  the  admiration  of  men 
of  like  patriotism.  Today  the  commonwealth  which  gave  them 
welcome,  when  poor  and  unknown,  they  knocked  at  its  doors  for 
admittance,  pauses  in  its  centennial  to  do  honor  to  them —  its  two 
most  illustrious  commoners,  statesmen  and  patriots.  A  distin- 
guished son  of  a  noble  empire  will  voice  the  world  appreciation  of 
Lincoln,  who  is  too  great  to  belong  to  any  state  or  any  nation,  to 
any  age  or  clime. 

The  honor  is  mine  to  speak  of  the  illustrious  "Little  Giant," 
who,  dying  at  the  age  of  48,  had  for  eighteen  years  been  the  most 
influential  leader  in  the  hall  of  Congress,  of  whom  it  may  be  truly 
said,  he,  like  Lincoln  and  Webster  and  Clay  and  Benton,  belonged 
to  the  only  American  aristocracy  of — 

"Tall  men,  suncrowned,  who  live  above  the  fog 
"In  public  duty  and  in  private  thinking." 

Mr.  Douglas  walked  into  the  town  of  Winchester,  Scott 
County,  Illinois,  in  the  autumn  of  1833,  with  his  coat  on  his  arm, 
with  thirty-seven  cents  in  his  pocket,  all  his  earthly  possessions. 
Within  ten  years  he  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  commanding  a 
large  practice,  had  been  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  prose- 
cuting attorney,  register  of  the  land  office,  judge  of  the  State  Su- 
preme Court  and  member-elect  of  the  National  House  of  Represen- 
tatives. The  succeeding  eighteen  years  of  his  life  he  served  as 
Representative  and  Senator  in  Congress,  defeated  Abraham  Lincoln 
for  the  Senate,  was  defeated  for  President  by  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  died  in  the  middle  of  his  senatorial  term  with  the  love  and 
confidence  of  the  people  of  Illinois  of  all  parties  and  creeds,  and 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  305 

with  the  respect  of  the  whole  country  which  he  had  served  with 
ability,  singleness  of  purpose  and  with  a  vision  of  its  possibilities 
that  few  of  his  era  had  seen  with  the  eye  of  faith. 

I  am  to  speak  to  day  not  of  the  Douglas  of  the  period  of  the 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  debate  when  Greek  met  Greek,  or  of  the 
epoch-making  campaign  for  the  presidency  in  which  the  victor  of 
1858  was  defeated  by  his  old-time  adversary.  In  all  history  no 
debate  so  challenged  the  attention  of  the  country.  It  determined 
the  candidates  of  the  two  parties  for  the  presidency  in  1860.  What 
the  outcome  of  the  election  would  have  been  if  the  party  to  which 
he  belonged  had  given  united  support  to  Douglas  is  a  conjecture 
that  may  be  left  to  those  who  delight  in  reflecting  upon  what  might 
have  been.  Bather,  let  us  think  today  upon  Douglas  as  the  man, 
as  the  orator,  as  the  political  leader,  as  the  champion  of  popular 
sovereignty,  as  the  disciple  of  Old  Hickory,  as  the  masterful 
national  party  advocate,  as  the  unquestioned  leader  in  the  Senate; 
but  high  and  above  all  as  the  constructive  statesman  who  more  than 
any  of  his  contemporaries  contributed  to  national  expansion, 
to  internal  improvements,  to  the  Americanism  that  thinks  in  big 
terms  and  had  the  faith  in  his  country's  future  which  placed  no 
limit  upon  its  growth  and  greatness. 

It  has  been  popularly  supposed  because  he  was  from  early 
manhood  engaged  in  the  very  thick  of  heated  political  campaigns, 
that  politics  was  the  breath  of  his  nostrils.  Superficial  historians 
have  failed  to  see  that  with  him  politics  and  office  were  never  an 
end  but  always  a  means  to  securing  the  larger  rights  of  the  people 
and  to  promoting  that  national  growth  which  were  his  earliest 
and  latest  dreams  and  his  master  passions.  Other  ambitions  and 
loves  had  play  in  his  busy  life,  but  he  ever  shaped  his  course  by  the 
steady  North  Star  of  faith  in  the  ability  and  right  of  his  country- 
men in  each  sovereign  state  to  determine  for  themselves  their  local 
and  domestic  concerns,  with  the  steadfast  and  fixed  devotion  to  an 
indestructible  union  of  indissoluble  states.  From  these  principles 
he  never  wavered. 

The  first  public  address  Douglas  made  after  his  admittance 
to  the  bar  was  in  defense  of  Jackson's  veto  of  the  National  Bank 

—20  C  C 


306  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

charter.  Small  of  stature,  a  briefless  barrister,  he  attended  a  meet- 
ing in  Jacksonville  called  to  endorse  President  Jackson's  action. 
In  the  very  center  of  culture  of  the  young  State,  the  site  of  its 
only  college,  his  eloquence,  his  argument,  his  sound  reasoning  so 
impressed  his  hearers  that  he  stepped  into  State  fame  and  retained 
this  high  place  in  forensic  debate  until  the  day  of  his  death.  As 
his  first  public  appearance  was  in  defense  of  Jackson's  actions 
which  changed  the  fiscal  policy  of  government,  so  when  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years  he  became  a  member  of  Congress,  his  maiden  speech 
in  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  was  in  vindication  of  the  hero  who 
inspired  his  boyish  admiration  and  had  profoundly  influenced  his 
political  convictions  and  public  life. 

There  are  times  when  the  ordinary  civil  processes  must  give 
way  to  emergency  measures,  but  only  for  the  period  of  national 
crises.  Let  us  never  forget  that  America  places  the  military  over 
the  civilian  government  only  to  preserve  conditions  that  insure  the 
civilian  supremacy. 

No  militarist  could  endure  in  our  country.  So  deep-seated 
is  our  devotion  to  a  government  where  military  force  is  under 
civilian  control  that  when,  as  happened  in  the  case  of  Grant,  a 
general  is  elevated  to  the  position  of  president  and  as  such  is  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy,  he  must  doff  his  military 
uniform  and  don  civilian  garb.  But  there  are  brief  periods  when 
national  existence  demands  temporary  military  supremacy. 

Such  a  time  came  when  General  Jackson  was  commanding  the 
troops  at  New  Orleans.  He  found  it  necessary  in  order  to  success- 
fully execute  his  matchless  strategy  to  declare  martial  law,  and 
when  opposed  by  a  Federal  judge  General  Jackson  found  it  neces- 
sary to  arrest  the  judicial  officer,  imprison  and  banish  him.  Jack- 
son stopped  at  no  half  way  measures  to  insure  victory.  Later  when 
military  rule  was  replaced  by  civil  government,  the  judge  fined 
General  Jackson  $1,000  for  contempt  of  court.  Civilian  govern- 
ment was  again  supreme  and  General  Jackson  bowed  to  the  decree. 
Though  'tenders  of  the  money  came  from  many  friends,  General 
Jackson  declined  to  accept  the  offer  and  paid  the  fine  himself. 
There  was  never  a  better  proof,  that  while  the  American  people 
welcome  martial  law  to  save  the  life  of  the  republic,  they  displace 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  307 

it  immediately  when  the  peril  that  evoked  it  is  over.  For  years  a 
bill  had  been  pending  in  Congress  to  repay  General  Jackson  the 
$1,000  which  he  had  paid  out  of  his  own  pocket.  It  slumbered 
on  the  calendar,  but  party  feeling  ran  so  high  it  could  not  pass. 
The  first  act  of  the  young  Illinois  Congressman  was  to  call  up  the 
measure,  and  his  first  appearance  in  debate  was  in  support  of  the 
bill.  He  and  other  friends  of  Jackson  wished  vindication  of  their 
hero.  Douglas  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  Congress  that  it  was 
not  only  Jackson's  right  under  the  circumstances  to  declare  martial 
law,  but  that  he  would  have  been  recreant  to  his  duty  if  he  had 
failed  to  take  such  vigorous  action.  The  action  in  that  case  was 
the  precedent  which  has  been  followed  from  that  day  to  this. 

When  Mr.  Douglas  met  his  hero  face  to  face  years  afterwards, 
in  a  call  at  the  Hermitage,  General  Jackson  said  to  Douglas,  "I 
always  knew  I  was  in  the  right  at  New  Orleans,  but  I  never  under- 
stood just  how  and  why  until  I  read  your  speech." 

The  lesson  of  this  hour  which  we  draw  from  the  life  of 
Douglas  is  far  removed  from  the  forum  of  politics  and  the  debates 
of  questions  which  stirred  the  people  in  the  fifties.  They  are 
valuable  only  in  illustrating  his  convictions  and  consistency  and 
the  ability  he  displayed  in  defending  them  and  winning  the  ap- 
proval of  those  who  heard  or  read  his  able  addresses.  It  seems  a 
thousand  years  since  people  grew  heated  over  these  differences. 
Now  that  the  whole  world  is  in  the  throes  of  a  great  war  to  decide 
whether  the  world  can  endure  half  democratic  and  half  autocratic, 
in  the  clear  retrospect  we  can  appraise  the  heights  of  devotion  to 
country  in  the  example  which  Douglas  set  to  his  countrymen  then 
and  now.  He  had  devoted  his  life  to  the  settlement  of  radical 
differences  over  a  question  which  could  not  be  composed  by  an 
adjustment  or  compromise.  Clay,  with  like  love  of  a  united  re- 
public, had  postponed  the  conclusion.  Douglas  in  his  Nebraska 
bill  and  squatter  sovereignty  believed  he  had  found  a  solution. 
Clay  did  not  live  to  see  that  this  remedy  was  a  postponement. 
Douglas  in  sorrow  saw  the  disunion  which  he  had  patriotically 
sought  to  avert. 


308  ILLINOIS  CENTENN.IAL  COMMISSION 

But  when  war  came,  in  spite  of  his  blood  sweating  attempts 
to  avoid  a  clash  between  brothers,  he  had  not  a  moment  of  hesi- 
tation as  to  the  course  he  would  pursue.  His  State  called  its  sons 
to  preserve  the  Union.  With  all  the  powers  he  could  command  he 
united  his  voice  with  that  of  Lincoln  in  calling  the  people,  though 
it  was  a  painful  duty  to  one  who  gave  twenty  years  to  averting 
the  sectional  conflict,  to  take  up  arms,  to  maintain  undivided  the 
great  republic  upon  whose  solidarity  he  believed  depended  the  hope 
of  free  government  in  the  western  hemisphere.  As  Senator  from 
this  great  commonwealth,  he  stood  behind  Lincoln  when  he  de- 
livered his  inaugural  address.  He  stood  behind  him  physically, 
and  behind  him  with  full  weight  of  his  ability,  his  counsel,  his 
eloquence  and  the  leadership  of  a  great  party  which  had  given  him 
1,300,000  votes,  and  which  in  Grant  and  Logan  and  McClellan  and 
Hancock  contributed  generals  of  distinction,  and  from  its  rank 
and  file  poured  into  the  regiments,  men  who  fought  as  valiantly 
for  the  Union  as  did  the  men  of  different  political  faith.  It  was 
a  seemingly  insignificant  incident,  which  cheered  all  who  were 
hoping  war  could  be  averted,  when,  as  Lincoln  was  introduced, 
he  looked  about  for  a  place  to  deposit  his  hat,  Senator  Douglas 
stepped  forward  and  took  it  and  held  it.  That  act  had  a  world  of 
meaning  as  the  future  course  of  Douglas  evidenced.  "One  blast 
upon  his  bugle  horn  was  worth  a  million  men." 

When  a  people  are  at  war,  partisanship  if  it  be  based  upon 
love  of  country  burgeons  into  patriotism.  Mr.  Douglas  had  been 
a  partisan  of  partisans.  The  man  to  whom  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment had  been  entrusted  had  been  his  political  foe.  In  the  moment 
of  the  peril  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union,  Mr.  Douglas  forgot 
his  defeat,  forgot  political  consideration,  forgot  any  resentment 
or  disappointments,  forgot  everything  but  the  supreme  fact  that 
the  united  republic  he  loved  was  threatened  with  separation  and 
all  which  that  involved  to  American  greatness.  In  that  hour  he 
made  full  dedication  of  himself  and  his  powers,  rallied  the  forces 
of  defense  of  a  united  republic  that  should  stretch  from  lakes  to 
gulf  and  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

And  he  fell  as  truly  in  his  country's  cause,  speaking  and 
counselling  for  united  support  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  the  men  who  gave 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  309 

their  lives  on  the  field  of  battle,  under  the  leadership  of  Grant  and 
Logan.  He  died  with  the  prayer  in  his  heart,  so  eloquently  uttered 
by  Webster,  with  whom  he  was  kindred  spirit,  "When  my  eyes 
shall  be  turned  to  behold,  for  the  last  time,  the  sun  of  heaven, 
may  I  not  see  him  shining  in  the  broken  dishonored  fragment 
of  a  once  glorius  Union ;  or  states  dissevered,  discordant  *  *  *. 
Let  their  last  feeble  and  lingering  glance  rather  behold  the  gor- 
geous ensign  of  the  republic,  now  known  and  honored,  throughout 
the  earth,  still  full  high  advanced,  its  arms  and  its  trophies  stream- 
ing in  their  original  lustre,  not  a  stripe  erased  or  polluted,  not  a 
single  star  obscured,  bearing  for  its  motto  *  *  *  spread  all 
over  in  characters  of  living  light,  blazing  on  all  its  ample  folds, 
as  they  float  over  the  sea  and  the  land,  and  in  every  wind  under 
the  whole  heavens,  that  sentiment,  dear  to  every  American  heart, 
Liberty  and  Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable." 

That  classic  from  America's  first  orator  was  the  utterance  of 
the  great  son  of  the  Bay  State,  who,  though  of  an  opposite  party, 
was  one  with  Douglas  in  endeavoring  to  find  a  way  to  preserve 
the  Union  and  to  avert  the  war  whose  coming  shadow  was  to  them 
a  tragedy  too  awful  to  contemplate.  Neither  Webster  nor  Douglas 
yearned  for  continuing  peace  more  ardently  than  did  Abraham 
Lincoln,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  great  Emancipator's  inaugural  ad- 
dress. That  inaugural  was  the  key  note  of  his  deep  feeling  and 
his  administrative  acts.  To  the  southern  leaders  he  held  out  the 
olive  branch  in  the  same  spirit,  if  not  after  the  manner  of  Douglas, 
when  he  declared:  "We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  Though 
passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds  of  affec- 
tion." 

We  have  often  been  assured  that  the  war  between  the  states 
was  inevitable  and  nothing  could  have  averted  it.  That  fatalism 
may  be  right,  but  I  have  never  given  my  assent  to  such  a  doctrine 
either  as  to  that  war  of  brothers  or  to  the  present  world  war.  I 
am  one  of  those  who  believe  war  is  not  foreordained  but  comes 
only  by  man's  disobedience  of  the  laws  of  God.  It  is  not  for  us  at 
this  distant  day  to  assess  the  responsibility  for  that  terrible  night- 
mare. Today,  as  Illinois  honors  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  it  is  suffi- 
cient that  the  State  may  have  the  distinction  that  both  these  emi- 


310  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

nent  men,  in  differing  ways  sought  to  the  last  to  avert  it  without 
separation  of  the  Eepublic,  and  that  both  were  free  from  hate, 
passion  or  revenge,  and  both  cherished  the  hope  we  have  lived  to 
realize,  that  the  sections  once  estranged  are  again  friends,  having 
no  differences.  Each  is  straining  to  contribute  to  the  fullest  of  the 
flower  of  its  manhood  in  this  war  to  make  the  world  safe  for 
democracy,  and  afterwards  to  see  to  it  that  democracy  is  made 
safe  for  the  world. 

It  was  no  new  point  of  view,  when  in  1861,  hurrying  to 
Springfield  after  a  conference  with  the  President,  Mr.  Douglas 
addressed  the  General  Assembly  and  summoned  the  people  to 
united  support  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  After  the  "most 
straitest  sect"  he  was  a  State's  Eight  Democrat,  but  he  was  true 
in  this  as  in  all  things  to  the  example  of  Andrew  Jackson,  a  Demo- 
crat of  Democrats,  who  drew  the  line  at  secession  or  nullification 
or  anything  that  impaired  national  existence,  whether  harbored 
in  Pennsylvania,  Massachusetts,  South  Carolina  or  by  the  Con- 
federacy. 

He  had  no  tolerance  with  the  spirit  that  did  not  give  whole 
hearted  support  to  his  country  when  its  lawful  authorities  had 
declared  war.  I  think  he  held  with  the  creed  of  that  noble  Ameri- 
can, Admiral  Stephen  Decatur,  who  declared:  "Our  Country! 
In  her  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  may  she  always  be  in  the 
right ;  but  our  Country,  right  or  wrong."  To  him  "Our  Country" 
embraced  every  foot  of  land  from  the  Eio  Grande  to  the  Great 
Lakes  and  from  his  birth  place  in  the  Green  Mountain  State  to 
Oregon,  to  whose  admission  to  all  American  rights  he  gave  earnest 
effort.  This  life-long  devotion  to  his  country's  cause  in  war  im- 
pelled him  to  employ  vigorous  denunciation  of  those  who  not  only 
gave  half-hearted  support  to  America  when  waging  the  war  with 
Mexico,  but  who  while  our  brave  soldiers  were  ready  to  make 
supreme  sacrifice  on  the  field  of  battle  denounced  the  war  as  "un- 
holy, unrighteous,  and  damnable."  Eising  in  hot  indignation  at 
what  he  regarded  as  their  unpatriotic  criticism,  Mr.  Douglas,  when 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  thus  vehemently  de- 
nounced their  course : 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  311 

"I  tell  these  gentlemen  that  it  requires  more  charity  than  falls 
to  the  lot  of  frail  man  to  believe  that  the  expression  of  such  senti- 
ments is  consistent  with  the  sincerity  of  their  professions — with 
patriotism,  honor,  and  duty  to  their  country.  Patriotism  emanates 
from  the  heart;  it  fills  the  soul;  inspires  the  whole  man  with  a 
devotion  to  his  country's  cause  and  speaks  and  acts  the  same 
language.  America  wants  no  friends,  acknowledges  the  fidelity  of 
no  citizen  who,  after  war  is  declared,  condemns  the  justice  of  her 
cause  and  sympathizes  with  the  enemy;  all  such  are  traitors  in 
their  hearts,  and  it  only  remains  for  them  to  commit  some  overt 
act  for  which  they  may  be  dealt  with  according  to  their  deserts." 

The  Douglas  of  1846  spoke  the  same  language  which  was 
spoken  by  Judge  Kenesaw  Mountain  Landis  of  Chicago  recently 
when  he  sentenced  to  prison  those  Americans  who,  after  war  was 
declared,  by  voice  and  overt  act  gave  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemies 
of  their  country.  The  climax  of  the  address  of  Douglas  in  his 
address  before  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  in  1861,  "The 
shortest  way  now  to  peace  is  the  most  stupendous  and  unanimous 
preparation  for  war,"  is  the  admonition  which  America  has  heeded 
in  this  day  of  its  participation  in  the  world-wide  struggle. 

Eliminating  the  controversial  questions,  upon  which  parties 
and  men  widely  differed,  Mr.  Douglas'  claim  to  fame  may  be  said: 
to  rest  upon  these  solid,  practical  contributions : 

1.  He  pioneered  the  internal  improvements  which  blessed 
Illinois  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  and  it  is  to  his  wise  fore- 
sight that  the  State  of  Illinois  derives  a  large  revenue  from  its 
operation.     In  nearly  every  other  instance,  all  profits  accrued  to 
the  owners  of  the  road  without  return  to  Commonwealth  or  republic 
without  whose  aid  the  construction  of  the  road  would  have  been 
impossible.     The  precedent  has  been  followed  by  other  states  and 
many  cities  without  thought  that  they  were  following  the  precedent 
of  Douglas. 

2.  He  gave  support  and  impetus  to  the  construction  of  a 
transcontinental  railroad,  in  keeping  with  his  consistent  optimism 
and  faith  in  the  "West.    He  saw  in  his  day,  as  with  the  vision  of  a 
prophet,  the  prosperity  of  the  Golden  West  to  whose  government 


312 

and  development  he  was  the  chief  legislative  guide  and  to  whose 
people  he  was  the  friendly  mentor. 

3.  His  unwavering,  uncompromising,  courageous  advocacy 
of  the  right  of  the  people  to  decide  for  themselves  the  kind  of  gov- 
ernment they  desired,  and  the  ability  of  the  people  to  decide  for 
themselves  better  than  any  others  could  make  decision  for  them. 

That  doctrine  was  his  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  his  pillar  of 
fire  by  night  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  defend  it  whenever  and  by 
whomever  challenged.  In  the  defense  of  this  principle  he  broke 
with  the  administration  on  the  question  of  the  Lecompton  consti- 
tution upon  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  state. 

It  required  courage  for  a  'thick  and  thin'  party  leader  like 
Douglas  to  go  to  the  White  House  and  tell  Mr.  Buchanan  that  if 
the  President  pressed  the  Lecompton  constitution  he  would  oppose 
its  adoption  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  but  this  was  not  the  first 
time  Douglas  had  opposed  measures  of  his  own  party  administra- 
tion that  contravened  his  devotion  to  giving  effect  to  the  will  of 
the  people. 

With  him  that  duty  transcended  all  others.  The  story  of  that 
interview  in  the  White  House  has  been  often  told.  When  all  other 
arguments  failed  to  secure  the  support  of  Douglas,  the  President 
said:  "Senator,  I  wish  yon  to  remember  that  no  Democrat  was 
ever  successful  in  opposing  the  policy  of  an  administration  of  his 
party,"  whereupon  Senator  Douglas  drew  himself  up  with  dignity 
and  replied:  "Mr.  President,  permit  me  most  respectfully  to  re- 
mind you  that  General  Jackson  is  dead,"  and  withdrew. 

Not  only  in  his  own  state  and  in  the  republic  did  Mr.  Douglas 
throw  the  full  weight  of  his  influence  in  behalf  of  full  control  of 
government  by  all  the  people  and  oppose  all  limitations  upon  their 
right,  but  he  gave  advice  and  counsel  which  helped  to  end  borough 
representation  and  unfair  discrimination,  that  existed  in  old  com- 
monwealths. Let  me  cite  a  concrete  example  of  his  healthy  in- 
fluence in  my  own  state,  North  Carolina,  with  which  Mr.  Douglas 
was  closely  identified  and  which  shares  with  Illinois  the  honors 
done  him.  When  he  was  a  young  member  of  the  House,  Mr.  Doug- 
las formed  a  close  friendship  with  David  S.  Eeid  of  North  Caro- 
lina, afterwards  Governor  and  Senator.  Through  this  friendship 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  313 

Mr.  Douglas  met  the  lady  who  became  his  wife,  Miss  Martha  Denny 
Martin,  daughter  of  Col.  Eobert  Martin,  an  influential  planter. 

His  oldest  son,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Jr.,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina;  his  other  son,  the  late  Hon.  Eobert  M.  Douglas,  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina,  resided  there  from  the 
time  of  his  father's  death,  and  all  the  descendants  live  in  North 
Carolina,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  his  grandson,  Eobert  D.  Douglas 
of  Greensboro  and  his  daughter  are  here.  She  has  been  invited  to 
unveil  the  statue  here  today  of  her  illustrious  ancestor.  Mr. 
Douglas'  intimate  association  with  North  Carolinians,  after  his 
marriage,  and  his  knowledge  of  North  Carolina  politics  caused  him 
to  give  wise  counsel  to  Mr.  Eeid,  which  helped  to  make  Eeid  Gov- 
ernor and  Senator  and  convert  North  Carolina  from  a  Whig  to  a 
Democratic  State. 

4.  His  large  conception  of  American  expansion,  of  the  destiny 
of  his  country  to  exercise  a  constantly  increasing  influence  as  a 
wo^ld-power.  "No  pent-up  Utica  contracted"  his  vision.  It 
thrilled  him,  as  a  partisan,  that  the  Florida  and  Louisiana  terri- 
tories had  been  secured  by  Democratic  Presidents,  and  also  under 
Presidents  of  his  party  Texas  and  California  and  the  vast  expanse 
of  territory  that  makes  up  the  far  West,  were  added  to  our  domain. 
He  ardently  supported  the  Mexican  War.  As  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Territories  it  gave  him  pride  to  see  them  develop  and  be 
carved  into  sovereign  states  of  the  Union.  But,  though  he  was  happy 
that  through  the  agency  of  his  party  American  territory  and  Ameri- 
can opportunity  had  been  enlarged,  his  chief  rejoicing  was  because 
he  believed,  as  a  patriot,  expansion  would  afford  a  larger  plane  upon 
which  to  demonstrate  the  superiority  of  popular  government. 

He  dreamed  of  still  greater  expansion,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  aggressive  advocates  of  the  shibboleth  "55-40  or  fight,"  be- 
lieving that  the  Oregon  line  should  extend  to  that  boundary.  So 
profoundly  was  he  convinced  of  this  right  of  America  that  when 
by  an  agreement  with  Great  Britain  less  territory  was  secured  for 
his  country,  he  declined  to  vote  for  the  treaty.  Long  before  John 
T.  Morgan  was  born,  he  had  dreamed  of  an  Isthmian  canal,  and  he 
held  with  Humboldt's  view  expressed  in  1827,  that  the  United 
States  would  see  to  it  that  this  canal  should  be  in  American  hands. 


314  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Because  Douglas  believed,  after  California  and  the  far  West  were 
incorporated  into  the  United  States,  this  government  must  under- 
take that  great  work,  he  fought  the  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty  on  the 
ground  that  it  might  hinder  or  embarass  us  when  we  were  ready 
to  build  the  Isthmian  Canal,  and  might  prevent  annexation  of  any 
territory  to  this  Republic  if  time  should  show  that  further  expan- 
sion would  be  advantageous  to  the  United  States,  and  any  other 
territory  desiring  to  be  incorporated.  His  big  Americanism,  born 
of  his  full  acceptance  of  the  spirit  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  went 
further  and  he  took  the  grounds  that  under  the  Monroe  Doctrine, 
no  European  country  should  have  a  voice  in  the  destiny  of  the 
affairs  of  this  hemisphere.  In  his  argument  against  the  treaty, 
Douglas  told  of  a  conversation  he  had  with  Sir  Henry  Bulwer. 
In  response  to  Bulwer's  statement  that  Douglas7  position  was  un- 
fair because  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  were  reciprocal,  Douglas 
said  in  the  Senate :  "I  told  him  it  would  be  fair  if  they  would 
add  one  word  to  the  treaty  so  that  it  would  read  that  neither  Great 
Britain  nor  the  United  States  should  ever  occupy  or  hold  dominion 
over  Central  America  or  Asia."  "But,"  said  he,  "you  have  no  in- 
terest in  Asia/'  "No,"  answered  I,  "and  you  have  none  in  Central 
America."  "But,"  said  he,  "you  can  never  establish  any  rights  in 
Asia."  "No,"  said  I,  "and  we  don't  mean  that  you  shall  ever 
establish  any  in  America." 

The  day  came  which  Douglas  foresaw,  that  America  would  dig 
the  Panama  Canal.  The  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty  required  negoti- 
ation before  the  vast  work  could  be  made  national.  Happily  Great 
Britain  sought  no  other  colonies  on  this  hemisphere;  happily  our 
cordial  relations  made  easy  the  negotiations,  and  none  of  the  fears 
of  Douglas  were  realized.  His  position,  wise  or  unwise,  is  illus- 
trated to  show  his  ambition  for  American  domination  on  this 
hemisphere  and  his  devotion  to  both  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the 
Monroe  Doctrine. 

Today  the  ties  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
have  been  cemented  in  blood,  and  if  it  be  given  to  those  who  have 
gone  before  to  know  what  transpires  here,  Douglas  must  be  Kappy 
that  the  allied  aims  and  purposes  of  these  two  great  English-speak- 
ing races  are  in  accord  in  their  right  to  insure  for  all  the  world 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  315 

the  same  freedom  and  liberty  to  which  Douglas  devoted  his  great 
abilities. 

It  is  particularly  timely  to  call  attention  at  this  moment  to 
the  man  who  set  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  example  in  our  his- 
tory of  the  submergence  of  political  rancor,  of  selfish  ambition,  of 
everything  savoring  of  party  politics,  in  order  that  a  great  war 
might  be  won.  There  is  no  finer  example  for  us  to  follow  today 
than  that  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in  what  would  have  been  to  men 
of  less  broadness  of  mind  and  strength  of  character  the  bitterest 
hour  of  their  lives.  To  all  of  us  tempted  to  let  matters  political, 
selfish  ambitions  or  personal  profit  of  any  kind,  cloud  our  clear 
vision  in  this  trying  hour,  I  would  like  to  paint  the  picture  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  defeated  after  the  most  notable  political 
campaign  in  our  history,  a  campaign  filled  with  more  bitterness, 
more  personal  rancor  than  any  presidential  campaign  in  this 
country,  standing  by  the  side  of  President  Lincoln  as  he  took  the 
oath  of  office,  taking  from  him  his  hat  as  he  bared  his  head  for  the 
solemn  oath,  and  from  that  moment  to  the  end  loyally,  faithfully 
and  sincerely,  upholding  the  hands  of  Lincoln  in  the  trying  days  of 
Civil  War  that  followed. 

There  was  much  in  the  career  of  Douglas  to  prove  that  he  was 
an  able  man,  a  brilliant  man,  and  a  wise  statesman,  but  this  one 
act  raises  him  in  itself  above  mere  brilliancy  and  ability,  and  en- 
titles him  to  stand  as  one  of  the  really  great  men  of  our  country. 
To  forget  self,  to  forget  parties,  to  forget  everything  but  the  neces- 
sity of  our  country  in  her  time  of  need,  that  is  the  acid  test  of  real 
greatness. 

When  President  Lincoln  stood  at  Gettysburg  he  asked  that 
we  dedicate,  not  that  historic  ground  to  the  nation,  but  that  the 
nation  dedicate  itself  to  the  principles  for  which  men  had  there 
given  their  lives,  to  the  principles  of  a  united  country,  which  were 
finally  triumphant  on  that  famous  field.  And  it  seems  to  me  that 
we  might  in  the  same  way,  here  dedicate  not  this  memorial  to  the 
man,  but  ourselves  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  great  example  of  un- 
selfish patriotism  shown  by  the  man  honored  by  this  memorial. 
Let  us  here  and  now  highly  resolve  to  dedicate  ourselves  to  the 
subordination  of  everything  which  can  hinder  or  block  or  confuse 


316  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

the  minds  of  our  people,  which  can  render  uncertain,  by  unfounded 
doubts  and  suspicion,  our  fixed  determination  to  win  this  war 
through  the  power  of  absolutely  united  effort  on  the  part  of  every 
citizen  of  this  country. 

Let  us  forget,  as  this  great  man  forgot,  everything  but  our 
country. 


EEMAEKS  OF  GOVERNOR  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN, 
INTRODUCING  LORD  CHARNWOOD 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Illinois  cannot  well 
recount  her  past  without  paying  tribute  to  her  Lincoln.  Great 
as  have  been  her  achievements,  the  greatest  thing  of  all  in  her 
hundred  closing  years  was  her  gift  of  Lincoln  to  the  nation  and 
the  world. 

In  the  last  few  years  no  greater  tribute  has  been  paid  to  his 
life  than  has  been  paid  by  the  great  English  publicist  and  author, 
Lord  Charnwood,  and  he  has  come  across  the  seas  to  be  with  us 
today  and  join  with  the  younger  branch  of  the  English  speaking 
race  in  paying  tribute  to  this  matchless  man,  and  I  want  to  remind 
Lord  Charnwood  that  his  is  not  the  first  contribution  to  the  his- 
tory of  America  from  which  we  have  profited. 

One  hundred  and  forty  years  ago,  when  we  had  some  slight 
difference  with  the  English  crown,  it  was  to  English  authors,  sir, 
that  we  went  for  argument  to  combat  your  government,  and  we 
quoted  from  Lord  Chatham  and  Edmund  Burke  in  support  of  cur 
position  at  that  time,  and  when  the  war  ended  we  had  won,  not 
only  independence  for  ourselves,  but  the  democracy  of  England 
had  won  an  equal  victory.  At  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  England 
learned  a  new  colonial  policy,  and  that  great  empire,  sir,  which 
spans  the  globe  today,  and  keeps  the  flag  of  liberty  floating  around 
the  world,  had  its  birth  in  this  little  difference  which  our  nation 
had  with  you  at  that  time. 

And  so  today  there  is  nothing  more  fitting  than  that  the  Cross 
of  St.  George  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  of  the  United  States  should 
float  side  by  side  on  a  score  of  battle-fields  for  liberty,  humanity 
and  civilization. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  317 

I  recall  that  when  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  priceless  heritage  of  our 
first  hundred  years,  our  comfort  in  the  present,  and  our  inspiration 
for  the  future,  pronounced  the  deathless  Gettysburg  speech,  we, 
his  countrymen,  then  were  deaf  to  its  charm,  and  deaf  to  its  great- 
ness. It  remained  for  England  to  discover  that  upon  that  battle- 
field the  most  perfect  bit  of  English  language  that  had  sprung 
from  the  heart  and  brain  of  an  Anglo-Saxon  anywhere  were  those 
lines  which  Lincoln  then  produced.  As  it  was  England  who  dis- 
covered that  gem,  so  it  is  fitting  today  on  this  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  our  Statehood  that  Lord  Charnwood  should  join  with  us 
in  the  dedication  of  this  statue  which  you  behold.  Lord  Charn- 
wood, it  gives  me  very  great  pleasure,  sir,  to  present  you  to  this 
audience  of  typical  Illinoisans,  and  therefore,  typical  Americans. 


Mr.  Chairman,  Governor  Lowden,  Mr.  Daniels,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen :  In  the  first  place  I  have  a  message  to  give  you,  which 
is  from  my  countrymen,  not  in  England  only,  but  in  all  those  self- 
governing  communities  from  Newfoundland  to  New  Zealand,  from 
South  Africa  to  Canada,  which  are  linked  with  England  in  this 
war.  It  is  a  message,  I  would  even  say,  from  not  a  few  men 
among  those  strange  nations  of  the  East,  in  India,  which  even 
today,  under  the  guardianship  of  England  and  her  colonies,  are 
making  their  first  steps  in  the  path  of  self-government.  I  have  no 
right  whatever  to  speak  also  for  the  French,  our  masters,  and 
yours,  in  so  many  ways,  but  I  am  going  to  speak  for  them. 

On  behalf  of  all  of  these,  the  self-governing  communities  of 
the  world  outside  of  this  Union,  I  beg  to  offer  the  most  heartfelt 
congratulations  and  birthday  good  wishes  to  the  great  Common- 
wealth of  Illinois,  older  than  some  of  those  communities,  and 
younger,  again,  it  may  be  by  some  years,  than  England,  which  now 
completes  these  hundred  years  of  vigorous  life,  which  have  won  it 
so  high  a  place  among  the  free  commonwealths  of  the  world. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Among  the  great  dead  who  have 
spoken  the  English  language,  more  and  more  as  the  years  go  on, 
two  men  stand  out,  eclipsing  all  others,  not  only  by  the  loftiness 


318 

of  their  genius,  but  by  the  appeal  which  they  make  to  the  common 
heart  of  men.  One  of  them  was  William  Shakespeare,  and  the 
other — by  the  way,  a  great  student  of  Shakespeare, — was  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

In  this  terrible  struggle  in  which  all  civilization  is  involved, 
to  what  statesmen  of  the  past  can  we  turn  in  comparison  for  les- 
sons of  wise  statesmanship,  effectual  and  profound?  Why,  it  is  a 
singular  fact  that  there  is  no  statesman,  however  able,  whose  ex- 
ample is  so  often  quoted  in  England  today  as  that  of  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

But  there  is  more  than  that.  Men  are  fighting,  men  are  dying 
today,  for  ideas  of  democracy,  of  freedom,  of  equality.  It  is  well, 
when  our  sons  are  dying  for  that,  that  we  should  sometimes  con- 
sider a  little  deeply  what  these  words  mean.  How  can  we  govern 
ourselves,  when  some  of  us,  God  knows,  are  not  wise?  In  what 
sense  are  men  equal,  ought  they  to  be  equal,  when  in  certain  obvious 
ways  nature  herself  has  fashioned  them  so  unequal?  Where  shall 
we  look  for  the  answer  to  these  paradoxes  which  sometimes  baffle 
us  ?  I  speak  as  a  student.  There  is  no  statesman,  no  poet,  no 
philosopher,  whose  thoughts  on  these  deep  matters,  are  at  once  so 
profound  and  far  reaching,  and  put  in  language  so  transparently 
simple,  as  Abraham  Lincoln.  And  perhaps  the  deepest  philosophy 
that  was  ever  uttered  on  these  momentous  questions  of  democracy 
was  uttered  upon  Illinois  platforms  in  those  wonderful  debates 
which  Lincoln  held  upon  your  soil  with  the  great  Douglas,  his 
generous  antagonist  and  when  the  great  crisis  came,  his  friend, 
who  was  so  worthily  commemorated  this  morning. 

But  there  is  something  more  than  that.  Beyond  his  states- 
manship, beyond  the  profundity  of  his  thought,  beyond  the  poetry 
of  his  language,  there  was  something  interwoven  with  his  genius, 
which  brings  it  singularly  near  to  the  hearts  of  men  of  all  con- 
ditions and  characters  and  kinds,  wherever  their  lot  in  life  may 
be  cast. 

I  might  well,  I  think,  ask  first  this  question :  How  comes  it 
that  not  only  I,  brought  up  as  an  English  boy,  but  untold  thousands 
of  Englishmen,  I  can  safely  say,  though  we  knew  little  of  America, 
and  understood  nothing  at  all  about  the  issues  of  your  Civil  War, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  319 

nevertheless,  quite  early  in  boyhood  fell  under  the  spell  of  Lin- 
coln's name? 

I  think  in  part  it  is  for  this  reason:  there  is  a  type  of  man- 
hood— it  has,  of  course,  its  corresponding  type  of  womanhood — but 
there  is  a  type  of  manhood  which  at  his  mother's  knee,  every  well 
brought  up  American  boy  has  been  taught  to  think  of  as  American, 
and  which  every  well  brought  up  English  boy  has  been  taught  to 
think  of  as  English.  It  is  the  type  of  the  man  who  can,  when 
the  occasion  conies,  be  the  most  terrible  of  all  fighting  men,  but 
who,  in  the  main,  and  more  and  more  as  the  years  go  by,  is  above 
all  things  gentle  and  pitiful  in  his  dealings,  absolutely  honest,  and 
in  his  inner  heart,  intensely  humble. 

It  is  a  type  which  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  old  world 
ideal  of  the  chivalrous  knight,  but  it  differs  from  it;  it  is  more 
simple,  more  humble,  more  full  of  sound  common  sense,  and  more 
ready  always  to  take  life  upon  the  amusing  side.  Well,  of  that  type 
of  manhood  which  I  have  described  so  poorly,  but  which  all  of  us 
recognize,  the  very  pattern  in  history  was  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Let  me  ask  again,  how  is  it  that  of  all  great  statesmen,  how- 
ever, much  we  revere  their  names,  none  has  such  a  hold  upon  our 
affection  as  Lincoln  has?  Chiefly  it  is  this:  More  than  any  of 
them  he  brought  to  bear  on  great  questions  of  state  just  that  sort 
of  wisdom  which  every  man  and  woman  can  apply  in  the  common 
affairs  of  his  or  her  daily  life.  There  never  was  a  great  man  who 
had  so  thoroughly  learned,  so  heartily  accepted,  the  hard  and 
wholesome  conditions  of  our  common  human  life,  set  as  we  are 
in  a  world  which  is  always  very  puzzling,  and  is  sometimes  very 
rough ;  set  as  we  are  to  do  the  best  we  can,  and  not  to  dream  about 
some  impossible  better;  set  as  we  are  to  do  the  best  we  can  and  yet 
be  always  awake  to  the  better  which  may  any  day  suddenly  become 
possible.  That  is  the  union  of  the  practical  man  and  the  idealist, 
a  union  without  which  practical  qualities  and  idealism  are  alike — 
vanity.  Of  that  union  again  the  pattern  for  all  time  was  Abraham 
Lincoln. 

With  the  help  of  Mr.  O'Conner's  work,  and  that  of  other 
artists,  with  the  help  of  some  of  those  old  friends  of  Lincoln,  a 
few  of  whom  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  meeting  this  day,  we 


320  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

seem  to  see  the  man  himself  as  we  read  his  character  in  some  of 
those  simple  sentences  of  his.  "I  am  here/'  he  seems  to  say,  "U 
must  do  the  best  I  can  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  taking  the 
course  which  I  feel  I  ought  to  take."  "The  subject  is  on  my  mind 
day  and  night;  whatever  shall  appear  to  be  God's  will,  I  will 
do."  "I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know  that  God's  hand  is  in  it. 
If  he  has  a  place  and  a  work  for  me,  and  I  think  he  has,  I  believe 
I  am  ready." 

These  are  the  unmistakable  accents  of  a  manly  humility, 
which  is,  perhaps,  the  most  uncommon  of  all  the  Christian  graces, 
but  which,  when  it  is  really  there,  gives  to  its  possessor,  a  tre- 
mendous power. 

Humble  he  was,  and  we  cherish  his  memory  for  every  little 
thing  about  it,  that  to  the  unthinking  mind  might  seem  rough,  for 
the  little  things  that  remind  one  that  he  had  been  and  was  proud 
to  have  been  a  day  laborer  upon  Illinois  soil.  These  things  endear 
him  to  us.  Don't  let  them  hide  from  us  the  fact  that  he  had  the 
statesman's  genius,  and  that  he  had  the  prophet's  vision.  And 
so,  before  I  commence  drawing  to  a  close,  may  I, read  to  you,  and 
may  I  ask  you  to  note  their  significance  today,  some  words  which 
he  spoke  on  that  last  journey  from  Springfield  on  his  way  to 
occupy  the  President's  chair  at  Washington. 

He  was  speaking,  as  he  said,  and  as  I  believe  without  prepar- 
ation, in  the  Hall  of  Independence  at  Philadelphia.  He  said: 
"I  have  often  pondered  over  the  dangers  which  were  incurred  by 
the  men  who  assembled  here  and  framed  and  adopted  that  Declar- 
ation of  Independence.  I  have  pondered  over  the  toils  that  were 
endured  by  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army  who  achieved  that 
independence.  I  have  often  inquired  of  myself  what  great  prin- 
ciple or  idea  it  was  that  kept  the  confederacy  so  long  together. 
It  was  not  the  mere  matter  of  separation  from  the  motherland, 
it  was  that  sentiment  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  which 
gave  liberty,  not  only  to  the  people  of  this  country,  but  a  hope 
to  the  world  for  all  future  time."  "It  was  that  which  gave  promise 
that  in  due  time  the  weight  would  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders  of 
all  men." 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  321 

We  are  beginning  to  see  that  prophecy  fulfilled.  Of  course  I 
do  not  mean  that  in  this  war,  or  any  single  struggle,  we  shall  per- 
fectly achieve  those  ideals  of  human  progress  after  which  you, 
with  your  magnificent  daring  dash,  and  we,  in  our  persistent, 
blundering,  faithful  way,  are  striving  through  the  ages. 

Not  one  war  will  win  that  far  goal.  Every  great  work  that 
is  done  is,  in  his  familiar  phrase,  "a  work  thus  far  so  nobly  ad- 
vanced." But  the  work  which  Lincoln  accomplished  when  he  saved 
the  Union  of  these  States  was  an  indispensable  step  to  the  work 
<which  we  and  our  sons  have  set  our  hands  to  do  today — from 
which  neither  America,  nor  France,  nor  the  British  Empire,  will 
turn  back  until  our  purpose  is  accomplished. 

Governor  Lowden,  in  his  gracious  telegram  to  invite  me  here, 
spoke  of  the  fact  that  Americans  and  Englishmen  are  now  fighting 
side  by  side  on  behalf  of  those  principles  for  which  Lincoln  lived 
and  died.  Yes,  we  meet  here  in  the  presence  of  the  dead.  Think- 
ing of  that  great  man,  we  think  all  the  while  of  the  fields  where 
my  nephews  have  fallen,  where,  if  the  war  lasts,  my  son  may  fall ; 
where,  it  seems  to  me,  all  the  best  young  men  I  knew  at  home  have 
fallen,  and  fallen  not  in  vain.  Where  lives-,  it  hurts  the  heart  to 
think  how  many  have  had  to  be  sacrificed  by  the  French,  and 
sacrificed  not  in  vain.  And  where  the  sons  of  America  and  the 
sons  of  Illinois  are  now  falling,  and  falling  not  in  vain. 

I  cannot  find  words  of  mine  fitting  to  sum  up  the  feelings  of 
this  day,  and  I  must  turn  to  the  words  so  often  quoted,  and  never 
quoted  once  too  often;  words  in  which  you  will  permit,  and  he 
would  invite  me,  to  make  one  trifling  change:  "We  here  highly 
resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain/'  "That  our 
far-scattered,  yet  united  nations,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth 
of  freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 


-21  C  C 


THE  CHICAGO  CELEBRATION,  OCTOBER  8-13,  1918 

Chicago  held  its  Centennial  celebration  during  the  week  be- 
ginning October  the  8th,  and  ending  October  13th.  Patriotic  mass 
meetings  were  held  in  the  Auditorium  on  the  evenings  of  October 
the  8th  and  12th,  and  a  beautiful  historical  pageant  was  given  on 
the  evenings  of  October  9,  10,  11  and  on  the  afternoon  of  October 
12th.  On  Sunday,  October  the  13th,  the  Illinois  Centennial  Monu- 
ment was  dedicated  in  Logan  Square. 

The  celebration  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Illinois 
Centennial  Committee  of  Chicago,  and  the  State  Council  of  De- 
fense, with  the  cooperation  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission. 

The  pageant  was  written  by  Arthur  Hercz,  with  special  music 
by  G.  Paoli,  Daniel  Protheroe  and  Walter  G.  Goodell.  It  was  pro- 
duced under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Hercz,  pageant  master,  and 
Lillian  Fitch  and  Bertha  L.  lies,  assistants.  One  scene  was  pro- 
duced by  the  drama  league  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  A.  Starr 
Best.  The  musical  directors  of  the  pageant  were  Daniel  Protheroe 
and  William  Weil.  The  dances  were  arranged  and  directed  by 
Marie  Yung.  August  M.  Eigen  was  stage  director,  with  Thomas 
Phillips  as  assistant. 

All  the  seats  in  the  Auditorium  were  free,  but  the  boxes  were 
sold  for  $50  each.  The  house  was  packed  at  each  presentation  of 
the  pageant. 

The  pageant  was  highly  praised  both  for  its  artistic  quality 
and  its  historical  accuracy.  The  various  scenes  were  beautifully 
staged  and  the  music  and  lines  were  most  pleasing. 

The  pageant  opened  with  the  Indian  period  and  then  followed 
the  history  of  the  territory  and  State,  on  down  to  the  present,  show- 
ing the  arrival  of  Marquette  and  Joliet,  the  settlement  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  the  Fort  Dearborn  Massacre,  the  admission  of  the  State 
into  the  Union,  the  reception  of  LaFayette,  the  development  of  the 
State  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  the  Civil  War,  the  Chicago  Fire,  the 

322 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  323 

World's  Fair,  and  finally  the  call  to  arms  in  the  present  war.  A 
striking  feature  was  the  roll  call  of  nations  made  up  of  various 
nationalities,  each  dressed  in  a  costume  of  the  nation  represented, 
and  showing  the  National  Flag. 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Monument  was  dedicated  in  Logan 
Square  at  three  o'clock,  Sunday  afternoon,  with  appropriate  exer- 
cises. W.  Tudor  ApMadoc  presided.  The  dedication  was  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Committee  of  Chicago. 
Eeverend  John  Timothy  Stone,  D.  D.,  delivered  the  invocation, 
and  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  delivered  the  address.  The  pre- 
sentation of  the  monument  was  by  Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago,  and  the  acceptance  by  Jens 
C.  Jansen,  member  of  the  West  Chicago  Park  Commission. 

The  monument  was  erected  with  money  provided  by  the 
Benjamin  Franklin  Ferguson  Fund,  a  bequest  providing  an  in- 
come which  is  to  be  expended  by  the  trustees  of  the  Art  Institute 
of  Chicago,  for  the  erection  and  maintenance  of  enduring  statuary 
and  monuments  in  Chicago  in  commemoration  of  worthy  men  or 
women,  or  important  events  of  American  history. 


ADDRESS  BY  GOVERNOR  FRANK  0.  LOWDEN  AT  THE 

DEDICATION  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL 

MONUMENT    IN    LOGAN    SQUARE, 

SUNDAY,  OCTOBER   13,   1918 

Mr.  Chairman,  Veterans  of  the  Civil  War,  the  Newest  Recruits 
to  the  Present  World- War,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  do  not  re- 
call that  I  have  ever  seen  in  Chicago  a  more  impressive  scene 
than  this  we  behold  today.  Coming  as  it  does  at  the  end  of  our 
first  great  century  of  progress  and  civilization,  staged  at  the  meet- 
ing of  these  four  great  highways  of  Chicago,  the  Centennial 
memorial  piercing  as  it  does  the  blue  above,  this  celebration  makes 
a  picture  such  as  I  do  not  recall  to  have  ever  seen  the  like  of 
before  in  this  great  city  of  yours  by  the  inland  sea. 

I  want  to  pay  my  tribute  to  the  genius  which  has  wrought  this 
triumph  of  art.  They  who  help  us  build  these  monuments  to  our 
mighty  past  help  to  inspire  us  to  a  greater  future. 


324  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Coming  as  this  event  does  in  the  midst  of  this  great  war  that 
is  raging  all  around  the  earth,  let  us  see  if  we  can  gather  some 
lessons  from  our  past  which  will  help  us  in  our  perilous  present. 
No  one  in  Illinois  can  in  this  Centennial  year  recount  the  glories 
of  our  past  without  recalling  the  central  figure  of  the  last  century, 
her  own  beloved  Lincoln. 

Today  I  want  to  remind  you  that  Lincoln  too  had  his  great 
temptations  to  enter  upon  a  premature  peace ;  but  Lincoln  declared 
that  war  had  been  forced  upon  us,  that  we  were  compelled  to  take 
up  arms  for  a  certain  object,  and  when  that  object  was  attained 
we  would  grant  peace  and  not  before. 

So  today  in  the  presence  of  this  great  concourse  of  people,  I 
am  sure  that  I  am  right  when  I  say  that  the  President  of  today, 
when  he  answers  this  last  peace  note  from  Berlin,  will  insist  that 
we  too  entered  upon  this  war  for  an  object,  and  that  until  that 
object  is  attained  there  can  be  no  peace. 

That  object,  my  friends,  what  was  it?  Declared  in  clear  and 
indisputable  terms  by  the  President  himself,  it  was  to  destroy  the 
kind  of  government  which  had  wrecked  the  peace  of  the  world. 
Until  that  government  which  had  inflicted  untold  miseries  and 
sufferings  upon  humanity  throughout  the  earth  is  crushed,  and  in 
its  stead  there  comes  a  government  of  the  people  and  all  the  people, 
the  peace  of  the  future  is  not  secure,  and  the  object  of  this  war 
will  not  have  been  accomplished. 

This  effort  which  emanates  from  Berlin  is  being  made  not  so 
much  because  she  desires  peace  as  that  she  desires  a  few  months 
respite  from  our  attacks  on  her  western  front,  until  she  can  gather 
up  her  shattered  forces  again  and  await  us  in  her  stronger  fortifi- 
cations upon  her  own  frontier. 

So,  if  we,  misled  for  the  moment,  were  to  grant  an  armistice 
at  this  time,  it  would  add  to  the  sufferings  of  your  boys  who  are 
at  the  front  and  would  prolong  this  war. 

Now,  let  us,  in  Chicago  and  Illinois,  and  the  United  States, 
imitate  our  sons  upon  the  battle  fronts  and  when  peace  is  urged 
answer  that  plea  by  a  renewed  assault  all  along  the  line.  They 
have  the  true  idea  of  the  only  path  that  will  lead  to  peace,  and 
if  we  at  home  are  worthy  of  those  boys,  we  will  meet  every  duty 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  325 

that  comes  to  us,  and  the  first  and  most  immediate  duty  is  to  over- 
subscribe the  Fourth  Liberty  Loan. 

I  want  to  remind  you  that  a  few  months  ago  we  all  asked 
nothing  more  of  our  soldiers  on  the  battle  front  than  that  they 
should  stay  the  enemy  during  the  remainder  of  this  year,  hold 
them  where  they  were  and  with  another  year  we  might  hope  for 
victory.  That  is  all  we  demanded  of  these  boys  ninety  days  ago, 
but  they  not  only  have  stayed  the  enemy  where  he  was,  but  have 
driven  him  back  from  day  to  day  until,  as  I  speak,  all  of  the  gains 
of  our  enemy  for  those  four  months  have  been  blotted  out  and  more 
besides. 

The  American  soldiers  in  the  battle  line  have  not  only  met 
their  undertaking,  but  they  have  more  than  met  it — they  have 
over-subscribed  and  over-paid  their  undertaking  in  this  war. 

Now,  shall  it  be  said  of  those  of  us  who  remain  at  home  that 
we  shall  not  over-subscribe  our  undertaking? 

I  want  to  read  to  you  today,  briefly,  on  this  subject  of  peace, 
what  a  distinguished  German  journalist  himself  said  of  the  Ger- 
man people  in  this  war  but  a  few  weeks  ago. 

Dr.  Eosemeyer,  who  was  asked  why  he  did  not  write  something 
to  move  the  German  people  to  an  understanding  of  the  real  issues 
involved  in  this  war,  said: 

"Nonsense !  Haven't  I  been  writing  my  fingers  off  for  thirty 
years !  What  those  fellows  need  is  not  ideas  for  their  brains,  they 
need  bombs  on  their  skulls.  Help  can  only  come  from  one  place — 
from  Bethlehem — Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.  They  will  cheat  you 
yet,  those  Junkers.  Having  won  half  of  the  world  by  bloody 
murder,  they  are  going  to  win  the  other  half  with  tears  in  their 
eyes,  crying  for  mercy." 

That  is  what  this  great  German  writer,  who  knew  the  Prus- 
sian mind  and  the  Prussian  heart,  said  of  the  Pan-Germans  them- 
selves, and  today,  by  their  tears  and  their  cries  for  mercy  and  their 
professions  of  love  for  justice,  they  are  asking  for  a  peace  with  the 
spoils  of  their  bloody  crimes  in  their  hands,  without  reparation  for 
a  single  one  of  the  infamies  they  have  perpetrated  upon  an  un- 
offending world. 


326  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

My  friends,  this  war  is  not  over.  Let  us  not  delude  ourselves. 
It  is  not  over,  because  we  cannot  be  true  to  our  soldiers  who  have 
made  the  last  supreme  sacrifice  for  us,  and  make  a  peace  short  of 
unconditional  surrender. 

I  want  to  give  you  a  form  by  which  to  answer  the  next  note 
that  Berlin  writes  to  us.  I  call  some  of  you  old  heroes  of  the  Civil 
War  to  witness  the  sort  of  correspondence  which  went  on  between 
General  Buckner  of  the  Confederate  forces  and  General  Grant  of 
our  forces,  at  Fort  Donelson.  Buckner  only  asked  for  an  armistice 
of  six  hours,  and  for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  arrange 
the  terms  of  a  possible  surrender.  A  note  somewhat  like  the  last 
German  note,  except  that  only  a  six  hours'  armistice  was  asked 
by  Buckner,  while  if  the  armistice  is  granted  in  this  case,  it  will 
be  prolonged  until  the  Germans  have  reorganized  their  shattered 
armies  and  are  ready  to  meet  us  on  another  battle  field. 

Grant  received  that  note  and  this  is  his  reply:  "Xo  terms 
will  be  accepted  except  immediate  and  unconditional  surrender.  I 
propose  to  move  immediately  upon  your  works." 

So  now,  with  the  German  armies  in  a  condition  of  demoraliz- 
ation and  despair,  the  time  is  not  for  an  armistice,  but  the  language 
of  Grant.  If  you  will  let  Pershing  and  his  boys  and  our  brave 
Allies  alone  they  will  move  immediately  upon  the  enemy's  works. 

I  cannot  tell  you,  my  friends,  how  proud  I  am  to  be  here  this 
afternoon.  I  can't  tell  you  how  much  hope  brightened  within  me 
when  I  saw  these  hundreds  of  new  recruits  pass  by.  Three  days 
some  of  them  have  been  training,  and  you  saw  their  martial  bear- 
ing and  their  martial  tread.  When  you  see  what  we  make  of  these 
American  soldiers  in  seventy-two  hours,  is  it  any  wonder  that  they 
are  adding  new  glory  to  the  American  flag  every  day  on  every 
battle  front? 

A  letter  that  I  have  received  from  an  officer  in  France  said 
that  if  every  commissioned  officer  of  an  American  regiment  is 
killed  or  disabled  and  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  rank  and  file 
become  disabled,  the  other  twenty-five  per  cent  will  still  go  forward 
under  the  command  of  a  sergeant  or  a  corporal,  if  need  be. 

That  is  not  possible  under  any  other  form  of  .government  than 
ours,  where  every  man  is  the  equal  of  every  other  man.  In  a  mili- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  327 

tary  autocracy  which  holds  that  all  the  earth  and  the  fruits  thereof 
belong  to  the  favored  few,  and  that  the  great  mass  of  mankind 
must  toil  in  order  that  the  few  may  enjoy  the  luxuries  of  life, 
you  cannot  develop  an  army  which  will  move  forward  under  the 
command  of  the  humblest  man  in  the  force;  but  a  democracy 
which  recognizes  no  essential  distinction  between  one  man  and  an- 
other, is  capable  of  producing  armies  like  this.  That  is  why  Cha- 
teau Thierry  is  a  name  that  will  be  remembered  forever  in  Ameri- 
can annals  and  will  be  written  along  with  those  other  great  names 
in  American  history,  Valley  Forge,  Yorktown,  Gettysburg,  Vicks- 
burg,  and  Appomattox ;  because  it  was  at  Chateau  Thierry  that  the 
American  soldiers  helped  turn  the  tide  of  this  battle  which  had 
been  running  against  the  Allies  for  four  months;  and  it  is  now 
running  so  strongly  against  the  Central  Empires  that  they  are 
trying  to  cajole  us  with  honeyed  talk  of  peace  long  enough  to  gather 
up  their  broken  army;  so  that  they  may  still  offer  resistance  to 
us  on  another  battle  line. 

Think  of  the  glorious  pages  of  history  which  our  boys  wrote 
at  St.  Mihiel,  where  Pershing's  army  as  an  independent  unit  first 
appeared. 

So  I  am  proud  to  be  over  here  in  the  heart  of  this  great  west 
side,  which  is  showing  us  the  type  of  the  new  American.  Some- 
thing was  said  about  Americanization  by  the  distinguished  chair- 
man. It  is  a  worthy  work,  in  which  we  all  must  interest  ourselves  ; 
but  the  most  complete  Americanization  that  is  being  wrought,  is 
being  wrought  upon  these  battle  fields.  Take  up  our  casualty  lists 
any  day,  and  note  the  names  of  a  half  dozen  nationalities  side  by 
side.  When  a  boy  is  fighting  in  the  American  uniform  in  the 
cause  of  the  world's  liberty  and  civilization,  it  doesn't  matter  how 
his  name  is  spelled,  that  name  is  an  American  name  forever  more. 
So  when  the  sons  of  Poland,  the  sons  of  Scandinavia,  the  sons  of 
Bohemia,  the  sons  of  Italy,  aye,  and  the  sons  of  Germany  too  are 
fighting  under  the  same  banner,  the  cause  of  civilization,  those  boys 
are  Americanized  in  a  very  brief  time ;  and  no  one  will  be  heard  to 
reproach  them  upon  their  return  for  any  lack  of  true  Ameri- 
canism. There  is  no  place  in  all  the  world  where  brotherhood  can 
find  surer  home  than  in  the  trenches  upon  the  battle  front ;  because 


328  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

when  men.  have  undergone  the  hardships  of  war,  side  by  side, 
awaiting  the  morrow  to  meet  the  common  foe,  they  are  not  likely 
ever  again  to  clash  over  race  or  religious  prejudices.  A  real 
brotherhood  is  possible  there,  and  you  veterans  of  the  Civil  War 
know  how  dear  to  your  hearts  is  the  name  of  "Comrade."  You 
know  what  that  mighty  tie  means,  how,  closer  than  a  brother  the 
real  comrade  is.  So  we  will  have  two  millions  and  more  when  this 
war  is  over  of  new  comrades  formed  in  the  furnace  of  this  mighty 
war  returning  to  America,  and  we  will  have  a  new  spirit  of  brother- 
hood throughout  the  land  as  a  result. 

My  friends,  awful  as  is  war,  frightful  as  are  the  sufferings 
which  our  boys  endure,  mighty  as  the  sacrifice  is  that  we  all  must 
make,  there  will  be  some  compensation  growing  out  of  this  war. 
I  am  sure  of  that.  Let  me  read  to  you  a  letter  which  I  brought, 
and  this  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  mothers,  for  they  have  the  hardest 
part  to  bear.  I  know  something  of  the  mother's  heart;  I  know 
that  in  its  deep  and  mysterious  recesses  every  pain  that  her  son 
suffers  is  reproduced  within  herself.  I  know  that  she  not  only 
suffers  all  the  agonies  that  come  to  her  son,  but  that  she  has  not 
the  stimulus  of  action  to  help  her  bear  her  pain.  The  mother's 
part  in  war  is  always  the  hardest  part.  So  I  want  to  read  this 
letter  from  a  young  lad  who  belongs  to  the  United  States  Marines, 
written  to  his  mother  a  few  weeks  ago: 

"The  past  six  months  has  made  home  and  mother  .very  dear 
and  sacred  to  me,  and  to  thousands  of  other  boys.  God  helping  me, 
I  will  commit  no  sin  that  by  His  help  I  can  avoid.  God  bless  and 
help  you  folks.  Do  not  worry  about  me,  morally  or  physically. 
If  I  should  meet  death,  I  will  die  like  a  man  for  the  most  sacred 
cause  our  country  or  any  other  country  has  ever  called  upon 
mothers  to  give  their  sons  to ;  but  I  am  certain  that  I  am  coming 
back,  and  coming  back  a  man.  I  am  sure  that  you  will  never  re- 
gret that  you  signed  your  name  to  my  enlistment  papers  last  April. 
God  bless  you,  mother.  Your  loving  son." 

Similar  letters  are  coming  from  the  battle  front  every  day. 
Ah,  imagine  if  you  can  a  lad  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  or  eighteen, 
writing  such  a  letter  as  that  a  few  years  ago !  So,  while  as  I  have 
often  said,  we  shall  not  have  as  many  young  men  in  this  country 


329 

when  the  war  is  over,  we  will  have  a  finer  body  of  young  manhood 
than  any  country  ever  had  in  all  the  history  of  the  past.  That  will 
be  one  of  the  compensations.  Then,  again,  my  friends,  we  are 
going  to  have  a  better  country  when  the  war  is  over.  Things  were 
not  going  altogether  well  with  us  before  the  war.  We  were  be- 
coming a  materialistic  people.  We  were  devoting  ourselves  only 
to  the  things  which  you  can  touch  and  handle,  the  things  of  the 
senses.  The  finer,  spiritual  values  were  dying  out  of  our  lives. 
The  spirit  of  discipline  had  fled  from  the  home,  from  the  church, 
from  the  school,  and  from  the  State,  if  you  please.  We  no  longer 
looked  upon  our  citizenship  under  that  starry  flag  as  the  most 
precious  possession  we  had.  We  only  felt,  in  some  sort  of  a  way, 
that  the  country  owed  much  to  us  but  not  that  we  owed  everything 
to  our  country.  So  when  this  great  calamity  came  upon  the  world, 
when  this  great  tragedy  of  the  ages  was  initiated  by  the  cruelty 
and  tyranny  and  heartlessness  of  the  Hohenzollern  dynasty,  it 
wasn't  upon  an  altogether  satisfactory  world  that  the  tragedy 
came.  Now,  wherever  I  go,  whatever  audience  I  face,  I  see  a  new 
spirit  shining  out  of  the  faces  of  the  men  and  the  women,  aye, 
even  the  little  children.  Humanity  is  having  a  rebirth  in  this 
crucial  time.  Our  citizenship  is  going  forward  and  upward  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  so,  when  the  war  is  over  we  are  going  to  have  a 
better  world  than  we  have  had  in  all  the  past.  The  old  idea  of 
human  brotherhood  for  which  our  fathers  fought  at  Concord  and 
Lexington,  and  for  which  these  old  heroes  fought  on  a  score  of 
bloody  battle  fields,  that  sense  of  human  brotherhood  is  coming 
back  to  the  earth.  You  know,  we  all  know  in  our  hearts  that  we 
were  becoming  selfish,  very  selfish  before  this  war.  We  were  sepa- 
rating into  classes,  we  were  thinking  of  ourselves,  we  had  forgotten, 
aye,  absolutely  forgotten  the  Master's  definition  of  who  our  neighbor  • 
was.  But  now,  purified  in  the  fires  of  this  war,  new  and  spiritual 
things  are  coming  back  to  the  world,  a  new  brotherhood  will  cornr 
to  our  land.  We  will  have  a  better  world  when  the  war  is  over. 
Now,  in  conclusion,  for  I  have  spoken  longer  than  I  expected, 
among  the  other  compensations  that  this  war  will  bring  about, 
and  I  feel  it  this  afternoon  as  I  have  not  felt  it  before,  is  going 
to  be  a  new  Chicago.  We  have,  too,  in  this  great  city,  divided 


into  groups,  according  to  nationality,  or  according  to  religion,  or 
according  to  some  other  test.  Now,  our  citizenship  of  this  great 
city  is  being  separated  into  only  two  classes — all  who  love  their 
flag,  who  believe  that  it  is  the  most  sacred  protection  to  humanity 
the  world  contains;  those  who  believe  that  America  is  the  best 
hope  of  humanity  everywhere  are  arrayed  on  the  one  side,  and  all 
the  others  (and  thank  God  they  are  growing  fewer  in  Chicago 
every  day),  are  on  the  other  side. 

So  when  the  war  is  over,  we  shall  have  a  new  citizenship,  and 
the  only  test  of  a  man  in  those  days  will  be :  Did  he  do  all  that 
he  could  while  the  war  was  on  to  save  and  protect  our  land  ?  That 
will  be  the  only  test.  We  will  have  a  solidarity  of  citizenship  for 
all  good  things  that  we  didn't  have  before. 

I  received  a  letter  just  as  I  left  Springfield,  yesterday  morn- 
ing, from  a  corporal  who  is  with  our  soldiers  in  France,  Corporal 
Paul  Salzman,  of  Bloomington.  He  writes  me  as  follows :  "You 
can  tell  our  people  at  home  that  we  are  constantly  thinking  of 
them ;  that  we  will  do  all  that  is  in  our  power  to  make  the  fame  of 
Illinois  still  greater."  That  is  the  spirit  of  our  boys  on  the  other 
side.  I  do  not  know  this  young  man.  All  I  know  of  him  is  what 
is  contained  in  this  letter,  and  although  he  is  only  a  corporal,  I 
want  to  answer  that  letter  when  I  return  home. 

I  have  delivered  Paul  Salzman's  message  to  you,  my  friends, 
and  I  am  going  to  ask  you  what  your  message  through  me  to  Paul 
Salzman  and  his  comrades  on  the  battle  front  shall  be.  May  I  tell 
him  (and  I  feel  sure  in  my  heart  that  you  will  authorize  me  to  do 
so),  that  the  people  of  Illinois  are  proud  beyond  expression  of  the 
heroic  services  of  our  soldiers  on  the  battle  fields?  May  I  also 
tell  him,  as  he  asks  me  to  tell  you,  that  we  are  thinking  constantly 
of  them?  I  am  sure  I  may.  I  want  to  add  that  our  dearest  con- 
cern in  these  fateful  times  is  not  only  that  we  shall  constantly 
think  of  them,  but  how  we  shall  constantly  do  for  them  that  their 
comfort  may  be  increased.  I  want  to  add  that  we  are  thinking  and 
thinking  constantly,  to  use  his  word,  of  what  we  can  do,  my  friends 
of  Illinois,  to  make  this  State  of  such  splendid  past,  even  a  better 
State.  May  I  tell  him  that  that  is  your  message  to  me  to  our 
soldier  boys  in  the  battle  line,  wherever  those  lines  are  laid  ? 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  331 

Our  past  century  has  indeed  been  a  glorious  one.  It  is  as 
full  of  inspiration  as  any  century  of  any  nation,  or  of  any  State. 
More  and  more  often  pilgrimages  are  being  made  to  Lincoln's 
tomb.  When  men  have  despaired  of  the  future,  they  have  there 
repaired  to  refresh  their  courage  and  to  strengthen  their  arms. 
Only  a  year  ago,  I  visited  that  sacred  spot  with  Marshal  Joffre, 
the  hero  of  the  Marne.  As  I  beheld  him  lay  a  wreath  above  Lin- 
coln's dust,  and  saw  his  tear-dimmed  eyes,  I  knew  that  old  hero 
had  strengthened  his  determination  that  "They  shall  not  pass." 

So,  splendid  as  is  the  first  century  of  our  history,  great  as  has 
been  its  contribution  to  all  the  progress  of  all  the  world,  let  us 
hope  that  we,  in  these,  the  most  crucial  years  of  all  our  history, 
shall  be  worthy  of  our  glorious  past. 

My  friends,  I  thank  you  for  the  patience  with  which  you  have 
listened  to  me  today,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  have  gained 
inspiration  by  being  here.  I  am  surer  of  the  future  of  our  citizen- 
ship and  our  beloved  land  than  I  have  ever  been  before,  and  so  I 
thank  you  again  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 


THE  CLOSING  OBSERVANCE  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 
CENTENNIAL,  DECEMBER  3,  1918 

THE  COMPLETE  PROGRAM  OF  THE  FINAL 

OBSERVANCE   OF  THE   CENTENNIAL 

WAS  AS  FOLLOWS : 

Meeting  Called  to  Order  by Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt 

Chairman  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  and 
President  Illinois  State  Historical  Society 

Invocation Rev.  T.  N.  Ewing 

Star  Spangled  Banner Private  Arthur  Kraft 

Presentation  of Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden 

As  Presiding  Officer 

"The  Office  of  Lieutenant  Governor," 

,. .,.  • . .- The  Honorable  John  G.  Oglesby 

Lieutenant  Governor  of  Illinois 

Songs Private  Arthur  Kraft 

a.     When  You  Walk (Handel) 

&.     Mary  of  Argyle. . . .  . (Nelson) 

c.     Duna    (McGill) 

"The  Speaker  of  the  House". 

. . . . , The  Honorable  David  E.  Shanahan 

Speaker  of  the  Illinois  House  of  Representatives 

"The  Illinois  Supreme  Court" 

.The  Honorable  James  H.  Cartwright 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 

Songs. Private  Arthur  Kraft 

a.     Lullaby  from  Jocelyn (Godard) 

Violin  Obligate 

&.     Invictus (Huhn) 

"The  Centennial  Address President  John  H.  Finley 

University  of  the  State  of  New  York 

America The   Audience 

Led  by  Private  Arthur  Kraft 

Reception First  Floor  of  the  Capitol  Building 

The  last  official  observance  of  the  Centennial  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  was  held  in  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  Capitol 
Building,  December  3,  1918.  The  Illinois  State  Historical  Society 

332 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  333 

united  with  Centennial  Commission  in  the  observance.  This  was 
the  One  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  formal  admission  by  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  of  Illinois  as  a  State  of  the  Union. 

Previous  to  the  meeting  a  dinner  was  given  at  the  Sangamo 
Club  by  the  Centennial  Commission  in  honor  of  Governor  Lowden, 
President  Finley  and  other  guests. 

The  room  was  handsomely  decorated  with  the  National  colors 
and  the  flags  of  the  allied  nations.  The  spirit  of  the  meeting  was 
one  of  exultation  and  thanksgiving  that  the  Centennial  of  Illinois 
had  witnessed  the  close  of  the  frightful  war  of  oppression  which 
had  engaged  and  horrified  the  world  for  the  past  four  years.  A 
feeling  of  profound  joy  that  the  State  begins  its  second  century 
with  new  and  brighter  hopes  for  a  hundred  years  of  peace,  pro- 
gress and  fraternity. 

Dr.  0.  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman  of  the  Centennial  Commission 
called  the  meeting  to  order  and  introduced  Governor  Frank  0. 
Lowden,  presiding  officer  of  the  meeting,  who  introduced  the 
speakers.  The  Kev.  Thomas  N.  Ewing  offered  the  Invocation. 

Lieutenant  Governor  John  G.  Oglesby,  delivered  an  address 
on  the  office  of  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  giving 
an  account  of  the  laws  governing  the  office  and  of  the  men  who  have 
held  that  high  position  during  Illinois  first  century  of  Statehood. 

The  Honorable  David  E.  Shanahan,  Speaker  of  the  Illinois 
House  of  Eepresentatives  presented  an  address  on  the  "Speaker  of 
the  House/'  Mr.  Shanahan  gave  a  history  of  this  important  office 
describing  the  qualifications  necessary  for  it,  its  duties  and  powers, 
as  well  as  a  most  interesting  account  of  many  of  the  brilliant  men 
of  Illinois  who  have  occupied  the  position  since  the  organization 
of  the  First  General  Assembly  of  the  State,  October  5,  1818. 

The  Illinois  Supreme  Court  was  reviewed  in  an  able  address 
by  Justice  James  H.  Cartwright  of  the  Illinois  Supreme  Court. 

The  Centennial  address  was  given  by  President  John  H.  Finley 
of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Dr.  Finley  said  he 
had  been  asked  to  talk  about  Illinois  but  he  would  speak  of 
America — the  new  America  that  was  made  possible  by  the  hundred 
years  of  achievements  just  closed  in  whose  history  Illinois  has 
played  so  noble  a  part.  Dr.  Finley's  address  was  a  notable  one, 


334  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

a  fitting  climax  to  the  series  of  patriotic  and  scholarly  addresses 
which  have  characterized  the  Centennial  observance. 

Dr.  Schmidt,  in  opening  the  exercises,  said  in  part: 

Members  of  the  Historical  Society  and  Honored  Guests :  The 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission  and  the  Illinois  Historical  Society 
welcome  you  to  these  exercises  commemorative  of  the  admission 
of  Illinois  as  a  State  of  the  Federal  Union,  ending  thus  the  series 
of  Centennial  exercises  inaugurated  a  year  ago  in  this  hall. 

Under  the  pall  of  the  most  frightful  of  wars,  and  in  terror 
and  uncertainty  as  to  the  fate  of  the  nation  and  the  world,  the 
Centennial  exercises  could  not  be  planned  in  the  same  joyful  and 
festive  spirit  as  should  have  been  the  celebration  of  a  birthday  in 
honor  of  a  beloved  and  provident  mother.  This  is,  however,  the 
opportune  occasion  to  join  together  in  gratitude  for  the  past,  and 
duty  to  the  present,  as  presented  by  the  National  situation.  The 
lesson  lies  in  the  heroism  and  the  devotion  to  high  principles  ex- 
ampled  in  Illinois'  history.  Notwithstanding  the  years  of  ease 
and  prosperity  of  this  nation,  and  notwithstanding  the  shortcom- 
ings in  which  it  found  itself  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the  hero- 
ism, and  the  sacrifice  of  our  forefathers  was  multiplied  in  kind 
and  in  spirit  to  meet  the  requirements  imposed  upon  their  sons 
and  daughters  of  today. 

That  the  Centennial  observance  has  been  successful  is  largely 
due  to  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  State  officials.  A  year  ago 
"Illinois  Day,"  as  this  day  is  termed,  the  exercises  for  the  celebra- 
tion were  headed  by  our  Chief  Executive.  During  the  year  by 
kindly  and  forceful  proclamations,  and  by  eloquent  speeches 
throughout  the  State,  the  patriotic  meaning  of  the  Centennial 
celebration  was  pictured  by  him  to  thousands  of  people.  He  also 
favored  us  with  a  proclamation  calling  attention  to  this  day  and 
he  has  consented  graciously  to  conduct  our  meeting  this  evening. 
I  have  the  honor  of  presenting  to  you  our  Centennial  Governor, — 
Governor  Lowden,  who  will  act  as  chairman. 

Governor  Lowden  said  in  response: 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  The  Chairman  of  the 
Commission  has  told  you  that  I  have  made  many  speeches  at 
different  celebrations  during  the  year.  I  fear  that  you  may  get 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  335 

the  idea  that  these  celebrations  have  almost  exclusively  consisted 
of  my  oratory,  and  now. I  am  going  to  get  right  down  to  business, 
and  introduce  the  first  speaker,  Lieutenant  Governor  Oglesby,  who 
will  speak  upon  the  "Lieutenant  Governors  of  the  State." 

THE  OFFICE  OF  LIEUTENANT  GOVEENOR 

JOHN   G.    OGLE6BY 

Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State  of  Illinois 

Governor  Lowden  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  This  day  one 
hundred  years  ago  Congress  ratified  the  submitted  Constitution  of 
Illinois  and  we  were  formally  admitted  and  recognized  as  the 
twenty-first  sovereign  State  of  the  Union.  This  meeting  tonight 
is  the  culmination  of  the  various  celebrations  that  have  been  held 
throughout  our  commonwealth  during  this  year.  The  four  dates, 
each  of  importance,  that  in  1818  marked  the  transmutation  of 
Illinois  from  a  territory  to  a  State  have  been  fitly  commemorated 
by  our  people.  With  the  entering  of  America  into  the  world's  war, 
there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  whether  the  Centennial  Commis- 
sion should  proceed  with  the  original  plans  for  the  centenary,  but 
Governor  Lowden  finally  decided  that  these  plans  should  be  ful- 
filled, as  the  lessons  and  traditions  of  the  past  might  prove  an 
inspiration  for  the  present  generation  to  meet  the  critical  condi- 
tions confronting  us. 

The  results  have  proven  that,  as  always,  the  Governor  decided 
with  wisdom  and  foresight,  and  so  the  people  of  our  State  are 
indebted  to  him  and  his  commission  for  the  successful  observance 
of  our  Centennial. 

I  have  been  asked  to  give  a  short  outline  of  the  provisions  of 
the  three  Constitutions  of  our  State  in  their  relation  to  the  office 
of  Lieutenant  Governor. 

The  first  Constitution,  that  of  1818,  laid  down  the  following 
qualifications  for  this  office :  The  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  be  at 
least  thirty  years  of  age  and  shall  have  been  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  thirty  years;  two  years  of  which  next  preceding  his 
election  he  shall  have  resided  within  the  limits  of  this  State.  He 
shall  be  chosen  at  every  election  for  Governor,  and  in  voting  for 


336  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  the  electors  shall  distinguish 
who  they  vote  for  as  Governor  and  who  as  Lieutenant  Governor. 
The  first  election  shall  commence  on  the  third  Thursday  of  Sep- 
tember, 1818,  and  continue  for  that  and  the  two  succeeding  days; 
and  the  next  election  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  August, 
1822,  and  forever  after  elections  shall  be  once  in  four  years  on  the 
first  Monday  in  August.  The  person  having  the  highest  number 
of  votes  for  this  office  shall  be  Lieutenant  Governor,  but  if  two  or 
more  be  equal  and  highest  in  votes  then  one  of  them  shall  be  chosen 
by  joint  ballot  of  both  houses  of  the  General  Assembly.  He  shall 
hold  office  after  1822  for  the  term  of  four  years  and  until  another 
Lieutenant  Governor  shall  be  elected  and  qualified,  but  he  shall 
not  be  eligible  for  more  than  four  years  in  any  term  of  eight  years. 

The  Lieutenant  Governor  by  virtue  of  his  office  shall  be 
Speaker  of  the  Senate  and  have  the  right  in  Committee  of  the 
Whole  to  debate  and  vote  on  all  subjects,  and  in  the  Senate,  when 
it  is  equally  divided,  he  is  given  the  casting  vote. 

In  case  of  impeachment  of  the  Governor,  his  removal  from 
office,  death,  refusal  to  qualify,  resignation  or  absence  from  the 
State,  the  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  exercise  all  the  power  and 
authority  appertaining  to  the  office  of  Governor  until  the  time 
pointed  out  by  the  Constitution  for  the  election  of  Governor  shall 
arrive,  unless  the  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the 
election  of  a  Governor  to  fill  such  vacancy. 

To  the  Constitution  of  1818  was  added  at  the  very  end  this 
clause : 

"Any  person  of  thirty  years  of  age  who  is  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  and  has  resided  within  the  limits  of  this  State  two 
years  next  preceding  the  election  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of 
Lieutenant  Governor.  Anything  in  this  Constitution  contained 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding/' 

This  unusual  provision  was  added  because  it  was  desired  by 
the  people  to  honor  by  election  to  this  office,  Colonel  Pierre  Menard, 
that  old,  impulsive,  French  emigrant  beloved  by  all.  A  benevo- 
lent, vigorous,  honest  and  patriotic  leader  of  sound  judgment  and 
comprehensive  mind,  who  had  great  influence  with  the  Indians  and 
was  most  successful  in  negotiating  important  treaties  with  them. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  337 

He  was  born  near  Montreal  in  1766.  His  business  was  that 
of  a  fur  trader,  and  while  he  made  many  trips  from  Canada  to  the 
states,  still  he  did  not  become  a  resident  of  America  until  1789, 
when  he  began  his  residence  in  Vincennes,  going  to  Kaskaskia  in 
1790,  consequently,  at  the  time  of  his  election  he  had  been  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  for  only  29  years,  and  had  not  that  qualifying 
clause  been  added,  he  would  not  have  been  eligible  for  the  office. 

The  next  Constitution  was  that  of  1848  and  changed  the  orig- 
inal provisions  for  the  election  and  qualification  of  Lieutenant 
Governor  in  that  the  election  should  be  held  in  November  instead 
of  August;  that  no  one  should  be  eligible  who  had  not  attained 
the  age  of  35  years  and  had  not  been  a  resident  of  the  State  ten. 
years  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  14  years.  It  was  also  pro- 
vided in  case  of  the  death  of  the  Governor-elect  before  he  qualified, 
that  the  Lieutenant  Governor  should  succeed  to  the  vacancy  thus 
created  until  a  new  Governor  be  elected. 

The  third  and  present  Constitution  was  adopted  in  1870.  Its 
changes  in  the  provisions  concerning  the  office  of  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor are  that  the  Lieutenant  Governor  be  a  part  of  the  Executive 
Department  of  the  State;  that 'he  be  the  only  executive  officer 
not  required  to  reside  at  the  seat  of  government  during  his  term 
of  office;  that  he  be  president  of  the  Senate  and  vote  only  when 
the  Senate  is  equally  divided;  that  he  be  thirty  years  of  age  and 
for  five  years  next  preceding  his  election  he  shall  have  been  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State  and  he  shall  be  in- 
eligible for  any  other  office  during  the  period  for  which  he  shall 
have  been  elected. 

So  we  are  brought  down  to  the  present  day.  The  people  have 
adopted  the  resolution  for  the  calling  of  a  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion. The  incoming  General  Assembly  will  provide  for  the  holding 
of  such  convention.  It  is  well  that  this  be  done- for  in  the  age  con- 
fronting us.  there  will  be  many  propositions  to  be  solved  and  the 
basic  foundation  of  our  State  should  be  modern  and  of  a  scope  to 
meet  all  problems  that  may  arise  in  the  new  freedom  of  the  world. 
Knowing  the  people  of  Illinois  as  I  do,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
result  of  this  building  will  be  commensurate  for  every  requirement. 

—22  C  C 


338  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  HOUSE 

DAVID  E.   SHANAHAN 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives 

Governor  Lowden,  Invited  Guests,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
We  meet  tonight  in  the  closing  exercises  of  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Celebration.  My  friends,  in  what  a  different  atmosphere  we  meet 
tonight,  compared  with  that  of  a  year  ago  when  in  the  opening 
exercises  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Celebration  we  met  in  this 
room.  At  that  time  the  world  was  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  war 
of  history,  and  the  thought  was  with  us  that  millions  of  our 
young  men  were  in  the  training  camps  in  this  country  preparing 
to  go  abroad  to  participate  in  that  great  struggle.  But  tonight  we 
know  that  this  frightful  war  is  ended,  and  that  in  a  few  months  a 
treaty  of  peace  will  be  signed  and  in  that  treaty  of  peace  there  will 
be  written  in  letters  of  gold  that  this  shall  be  the  last  cruel  war 
which  shall  curse  this  world  forever  more. 

In  the  few  moments  allotted  to  me — I  have  ten  minutes  I 
understand — I  am  to  talk  of  the  Speakers  of  one  hundred  years, 
so  I  must  be  brief. . 

The  State  Government  of  Illinois  was  organized  on  Monday, 
October  5,  1818.  On  that  day  the  first  session  of  the  General  As- 
sembly met  in  Kaskaskia.  There  were  twenty-eight  members  of 
the  House  and  fourteen  Senators.  Seven  members  of  the  House 
and  five  Senators  had  been  members  of  the  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1818,  John  Messinger  being  one  of  the  number.  On  the 
opening  day  of  the  session  Eisdon  Moore  was  elected  speaker  pro 
tempore.  On  the  next  day,  October  6,  1818,  the  House  met  and 
elected  as  its  speaker  John  Messinger  of  St.  Clair  County.  Mes- 
singer was  a  New  Englander,  which  was  exceptional,  for  a  citizen 
of  the  country  at  that  time,  as  the  majority  of  the  Southern  Illi- 
nois pioneers  were  of  Virginia  or  North  Carolina  ancestry,  though 
the  English  settlement  of  Birkbeck  and  Flower  at  Albion  exercised 
an  influence  of  considerable  magnitude,  especially  a  few  years  later 
in  the  attempt  of  1823-24  to  change  the  Constitution  of  Illinois 
in  order  to  permit  slavery  within  its  borders.  The  English  colon- 
ists were  strongly  anti-slavery  in  their  sentiments. 


339 

Messinger  was  born  at  West  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  in  1771.  He 
went  to  Vermont,  then  to  Kentucky,  reaching  the  New  Design 
settlement  in  Illinois  in  1802  when  the  Territory  was  a  part  of 
Indiana  Territory.  Later  he  became  a  miller  in  St.  Clair  County, 
and  he  taught  one  of  the  earliest  schools  in  that  county.  He 
became  a  surveyor  and  map  maker.  He  made  many  of  the  early 
county  and  State  maps,  copies  of  which  are  still  in  existence.  He 
was  the  author  of  a  book  entitled,  "A  Manual  or  Hand  Book 
Intended  for  Convenience  in  Practical  Surveying." 

Mr.  Messinger  was  one  of  the  surveyors  who  set  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  State,  thus  helping  in  the  good  work  of  the  dele- 
gate in  Congress,  Nathaniel  Pope,  in  saving  for  Illinois  its  fourteen 
northern  counties  including  the  site  of  Chicago.  This  territory 
was  given  to  Wisconsin  in  the  original  State  boundary  line.  In  a 
new  country,  surveying  and  making  roads  was  a  very  important 
profession.  We  all  remember  that  George  Washington  and  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  were  both  in  their  youthful  days  surveyors. 

In  1808  Mr.  Messinger  was  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Terri- 
torial Legislature  and  took  part  in  the  legislation  which  separated 
Illinois  from  Indiana  and  gave  it  an  independent  Territorial  gov- 
ernment. Mr.  Messinger  was,  of  course,  speaker  of  the  second 
session  of  the  First  General  Assembly  which  convened  in  Kaskaskia, 
January  18,  1819,  and  adjourned  March  31,  1819. 

The  speaker  of  the  Second  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  was 
John  McLean,  who  was  a  most  distinguished  citizen  of  the  State. 
In  his  honor  is  named  McLean  County,  the  largest  county  in  area 
in  the  State. 

John  McLean  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1791.  The 
family  removed  to  Kentucky  and  young  McLean  came  to  Shawnee- 
town,  Illinois,  in  1815.  He  was  a  brilliant  man,  an  eloquent  and 
forceful  orator.  He  was  elected  the  first  representative  in  Congress 
from  the  new  State  of  Illinois,  but  was  defeated  for  re-election  by 
Daniel  P.  Cook.  In  1824,  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator 
to  succeed  Ninian  Edwards,  resigned.  He  was  re-elected  in  1828 
by  a  unanimous  vote,  but  died  on  October  4,  1830. 

Forty  men  have  been  elected  Speaker  of  the  Illinois  House  of 
Representatives  during  the  past  100  years;  three  of  these  have 


340  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

afterwards  served  the  people  as  Governor  of  the  State,  Ewing, 
Keynolds  and  Cullom,  Mr.  Ewing  served  only  fifteen  days  as  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State.  Six  have  afterwards  been  elected  Senators  in 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  John  McLean,  W.  L.  D.  Ewing, 
Sidney  Breese,  James  Semple,  William  A.  Eichardson,  Shelby  M. 
Cullom,  and  Lawrence  Y.  Sherman. 

Several  have  won  fame  in  the  lower  House  of  Congress,  among 
the  most  notable  being  John  Reynolds,  Thomas  J.  Turner,  William 
R.  Morrison  and  Shelby  M.  Cullom.  Allen  C.  Fuller  was  Adjutant 
General  of  the  State  November  1861-1865.  He  was  also  twice 
presidential  elector,  1860  and  1876.  He  later  served  several  terms 
in  the  State  Senate.  It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  the  important 
legislation  in  which  Speakers  of  the  House  have  exercised  influence 
or  the  other  offices  which  they  have  held. 

The  list  of  names  is  an  honorable  one.  Three  men  have  served 
three  terms  as  Speaker  of  the  House,  John  McLean,  W.  L.  D. 
Ewing,  and  Edward  D.  Shurtleff.  Mr.  McLean,  after  his  first 
election  as  Speaker  of  the  House,  served  in  Congress  and  later  on 
was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature  and  again  became  Speaker  and 
served  two  terms  in  succession.  As  has  been  stated  Mr.  McLean 
died  in  1830  while  serving  as  a  member  of  the  United  States 
Senate.  Mr.  Ewing  was  elected  Speaker  in  1830,  and  eight  years 
afterwards  was  again  elected  Speaker  and  served  twice  in  succes- 
sion. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  is  the  only  man  who  was  elected  Speaker  and 
served  three  times  in  succession.  Semple,  Cullom,  Corwin,  Smith, 
Haines,  Crafts,  Sherman  and  Shanahan  served  two  terms  each. 
In  the  Thirty-sixth  General  Assembly,  which  convened  in  January, 
1889,  three  men  served  as  Speaker  during  the  session.  First,  Mr. 
A.  C.  Matthews,  who  was  later  appointed  Comptroller  of  the  Cur- 
rency, resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  James  H.  Miller,  who 
died  during  the  session  and  was  succeeded  by  Judge  W.  G.  Coch- 
ran  of  Moultrie  County.  Mr.  Samuel  Buckmaster  served  as 
Speaker  in  the  famous  session  of  1863  when  the  Legislature  was 
prorogued  by  the  famous  War  Governor  Richard  Yates.  Buck- 
master  was  the  loyal  supporter  of  the  Governor  during  that  stormy 
war  period. 


341 

E.  M.  Haines  was  Speaker  of  the  Thirty-fourth  General  As- 
sembly in  1885,  during  the  famous  deadlock  over  the  election  of 
United  States  Senator,  when  General  John  A.  Logan  was  re- 
elected  after  a  contest  lasting  over  five  months. 

Clayton  E.  Crafts  was  Speaker  of  the  Thirty-seventh  General 
Assembly  in  1891,  during  another  noted  senatorial  contest,  which 
lasted  over  three  months,  in  which  General  John  M.  Palmer  was 
elected  United  States  Senator. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1870  there  are  fifty-one  senatorial 
districts  in  Illinois,  which  biennially  elect  three  members  'of  the 
House  of  Representatives  from  each  district,  so  that  the  body  is 
composed  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  members.  The  House 
convenes  on  the  first  Wednesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  January 
and  proceeds  to  organize.  The  session  is  called  to  order  by  the 
Secretary  of  State  and  after  the  roll  call  of  the  members  is  had, 
a  temporary  organization  is  made  and  after  the  credentials  of  the 
members  have  been  passed  upon,  a  permanent  organization  is  made 
by  the  election  of  a  Speaker  and  other  officers.  The  rules  of  the 
House  provide  what  the  powers  of  the  Speaker  shall  be  and  they 
are  very  broad.  I  am  not  permitted  at  this  time  to  take  up  the 
various  duties  of  the  Speaker,  or  what  these  Speakers  have  done. 
Enough  to  say  that  during  the  one  hundred  years  of  its  history, 
Illinois  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  men  who  have  served  as 
Speakers  of  its  House  of  Representatives. 


THE  ILLINOIS  SUPREME  COURT 

JUDGE   JAMES    H.    CAHTWRIGHT 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 

Mr.  Chairman,  Members  of  the  Centennial  Commission, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  Every  government  whether  centralized 
in  a  monarch  or  divided  into  different  departments,  exercises  three 
separate  and  distinct  functions — the  making  of  the  law;  the  appli- 
cation of  the  law  to  conditions,  and  the  execution  of  it.  Neither  is 
efficient  without  the  other.  The  law  itself  is  absolutely  inert.  The 
printed  page  protects  no  right,  punishes  no  crime,  accomplishes  no 
results.  The  judicial  department,  construing  and  applying  the  law 


342  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

is  helpless  without  the  executive  behind  it  to  enforce  its  decrees. 
The  perfection  of  a  government  is  one  that  binds  all  different  de- 
partments with  each  other  as  a  whole,  neither  one  being  permitted 
to  exercise  the  function  of  another. 

Our  forefathers  did  not  contend  for  any  particular  form  of 
government.  They  were  in  the  Revolutionary  War  fighting  against 
a  monarch  and  that  War  was  in  progress  more  than  a  year  before 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  when  they  severed  their  connec- 
tion with  the  mother  country.  At  that  time  they  declared  in  that 
instrument  that  prudence  dictated  that  a  government  long  estab- 
lished should  not  be  changed  for  light  or  transient  reasons.  They 
were  fighting  against  injustice,  against  wrongs  committed  by  a  gov- 
ernment over  which  they  had  no  control;  and  when  they  came  to 
frame  a  Constitution  at  the  close  of  the  confederacy,  they  declared 
the  first  purpose  which  was  in  their  minds  which  was  to  establish 
justice,  insure  domestic  tranquility,  to  provide  for  the  common 
defence,  to  secure  to  themselves  and  their  posterity  the  blessings 
of  liberty. 

The  states  followed  the  same  declaration.  Our  Constitution 
of  1818,  declared  its  purpose  to  be  to  establish  justice,  to  secure 
domestic  tranquility,  and  followed  the  same  language  as  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States.  They  divided  the  functions  of  the 
government  into  three  departments  by  which  the  Legislature  should 
make  the  laws;  the  courts  should  construe  and  administer  them, 
and  the  executive  should  enforce  and  carry  out  the  decrees  of  the 
court  and  see  that  laws  were  faithfully  executed.  All  officers  were 
required  to  take  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
and  to  perform  the  duties  of  their  office  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
and  that  has  been  the  oath  taken  by  every  judge  and  by  every 
member  of  the  Legislature  and  executive  officer  since  that  time. 

'There  must,  of  course,  be  some  authority  to  say  when  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Constitution  have  been  transgressed  and  what  is  the 
meaning  of  the  different  laws.  The  people  are  the  sovereign  and 
they  have  enacted  only  one  original  piece  of  legislation,  and  that 
is  the  Constitution.  They  declared  what  should  be  done  and  what 
should  not  be  done,  and  defined  the  powers  of  the  different  depart- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  343 

ments.  They  committed  to  'the  Supreme  Court  the  decision  of 
questions  relating  to  the  Constitution. 

In  a  representative  form  of  government  it  is  especially  neces- 
sary, that  there  should  be  such  an  authority,  because  a  wise  monarch 
will  take  into  account  all  the  wishes  and  needs  and  views  of  the 
minority;  but  in  a  representative  form  of  government  it  is  not 
expected  that  a  majority  will  regard  the  views  or  the  wishes  or  the 
interests  of  the  minority ;  and  so  when  the  Constitution  was  framed, 
it  was  provided  that  there  were  certain  things  which  a  majority 
should  not  do  to  the  individual  or  to  the  minority,  and  necessarily 
there  must  be  some  authority  to  say  when  that  limit  has  been 
transgressed. 

We  have  had  a  great  history  as  a  State.  Security  has  been 
provided  for  person  and  property,  and  the  declaration  of  the  Con- 
stitution that  "all  men  are  by  nature  free  and  independent  and 
have  certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life,  liberty  and 
the  pursuit  of  happiness,"  and  to  secure  these  things  governments 
are  instituted. 

It  is  only  where  the  laws  are  administered  for  the  security 
of  all  that  a  nation  can  fulfill  its  highest  destiny.  The  whole 
history  of  the  world  from  the  beginning,  to  the  bloody  program 
now  being  enacted  in  other  lands  during  the  present  war,  shows 
the  same  condition  of  anarchy  as  in  the  days  of  Israel  when  every 
man  did  according  to  his  own  will  because  there  was  no  judge  in 
the  land.  They  were  the  prey  of  their  enemies.  The  weak  were 
assaulted,  destroyed,  scattered,  and  divided.  When  the  successful 
Jewish  system  was  established,  there  was  Moses,  who,  in  the  wilder- 
ness following  the  advice  of  Jethro,  his  father-in-law,  a  priest  of 
Midian,  when  he  came  with  his  wife  and  his  sons  to  visit  him  there,, 
established  judges  over  the  people. 

Samuel  was  the  first  circuit  judge,  when  he  went  from  year 
to  year  in  a  circuit  to  Bethel  and  Grilgal  and  Mizpah  and  returned 
to  Eamah.  It  was  not  because  of  the  great  military  genius  of  any 
of  those  judges  who  ruled  over  Israel  that  they  overcame  their 
enemies,  but  because  they  established  justice  and  right  and  law, 
that  the  Jewish  nation  was  then  indestructable  and  unconquerable. 


344  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

A  government  by  which  law  and  "justice  are  administered,  and 
rights  are  maintained  and  whose  people  are  devoted  to  the  prin- 
ciples declared  by  our  forefathers  will  endure  in  some  form  which 
secures  those  objects.  The  fields  and  lands  of  such  a  nation  may  be 
ravished,  its  cities  and  villages  pillaged  and  burned;  its  citizens 
murdered  and  property  destroyed,  but  the  principles  of  liberty  then 
instilled  and  planted  will  live  forever,  and  they  will  come  together 
again  in  some  new  form  adapted  to  the  conditions  in  life  to  secure 
the  blessings  of  justice,  and  liberty. 

Since  1848  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  have  been  elected 
by  the  people,  and  I  think  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  no  safer 
plan  can  be  adopted  than  for  the  election  of  judges  by  a  free  and 
intelligent  and  independent  people.  Whether  the  work  has  been 
done  with  credit  and  ability  is  not  for  any  of  the  judges  of  the 
court  to  say;  that  it  has  been  done  with  integrity  and  fidelity  and 
honesty  no  one  has  ever  questioned. 


CENTENNIAL  ADDRESS 

JOHN    H.    FINLEY 

President  of  the  University  of  New  York 

Governor  Lowden,  Men  and  Women  of  Illinois:  It  is  very 
gratifying  to  know  that  I  am  still  remembered  as  a  son  of  Illinois. 
Some  years  ago,  shortly  after  I  left  Illinois  to  go  to  New  York, 
I  read  an  editorial  in  a  Chicago  paper — I  still  took  the  Chicago 
paper — speaking  of  an  address  which  I  had  made  as  a  young  man 
out  here  in  Bloomington — I  think  it  was  called  an  oration  in  those 
days — and  referring  to  my  apparent  familiarity  with  the  Old 
Testament,  which  has  been  referred  to  by  Judge  Cartwright  here 
tonight  so  beautifully — and  then  it  went  on  to  say  that  this  young 
man  would  probably  have  amounted  to  something  in  the  world 
except  for  his  untimely  death — evidently  it  is  known  to  very  few 
in  Illinois  that  I  am  still  in  existence. 

It  is  very  gratifying  also  to  hear  an  introduction  by  one  who 
has  not  gotten  his  information  solely  from  Who's  Who,  and  cer- 
tainly it  is  a  great  distinction  to  be  introduced  by  my  friend, 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  345 

Frank  Lowden.  I  do  not  wish  Illinois  any  ill,  but  I  hope  some 
day — it  is  pretty  lonesome  on  the  other  side — I  hope  some  day 
he  will  take  the  Lincoln  Highway  over  the  mountains  to  the  only 
place  there  that  is  more  exalted  than  the  Governorship  of  Illinois. 
It  seems,  Governor,  that  they  would  like  to  have  you  go  over. 

I  have  great  difficulty  down  East  in  making  them  distinguish 
between  some  of  these  western  states.  They  sometimes  put  me 
from  Indiana,  or  Iowa  or  out  in  Wisconsin,  which,  of  course, 
makes  me  feel  badly.  But  sometimes  they  locate  my  state  and 
they  refer  to  me — usually  by  that  other  appropriate  term  they 
call  me — you  know — they  call  me  a  "Sucker,"  and  my  response 
is,  "Do  you  know  why  we  are  called  suckers"  out  in  Illinois?  It 
is  because  we  believe  all  that  the  people  of  this  side  of  the  moun- 
tains say  about  their  own  states. 

I  have  already  made  my  address  here,  and  it  was  an  eloquent 
address.  It  was  made  by  my  dearest  friend,  one  who  was  my 
mentor — one  whose  office  I  used  to  sweep  out,  and  I  was  hardly 
worthy  to  do  that — the  one  who  taught  me  to  make  my  first  pub- 
lic speech.  I  shall  have  to  admit  that  I  have  been  a  very  poor 
pupil,  after  you  have  heard  him  speak — my  friend  Edgar  A. 
Bancroft.  I  should  not  have  come  here  tonight  if  it  had  not  been 
that  I  had  promised  and  that  really  I  wanted  some  excuse  for 
coming  back  to  Illinois. 

I  was  plowing  corn  one  day,  one  hot  day  in  June,  when  I 
heard  a  singing,  or  a  sound  rather,  in  the  sky.  I  knew  it  was 
not  the  celestial  choir — I  knew  it  was  a  swarm  of  bees  flying  across 
my  field  toward  the  woods  in  the  distance.  I  did  what  every 
Illinois  boy  would  do  under  the  circumstances — I  started  after 
tbose  bees,  picking  up  clods  of  earth  and  dust  and  shouting  and 
throwing  the  dust  and  the  clods  towards  the  bees,  with  the  result 
that  I  brought  them  down  at  the  edge  of  the  field  on  a  branch  of 
a  tree;  and  that  night  I  brought  out  the  hives  and  took  the  bees 
home  and  they  made  honey  for  us  the  rest  of  the  year.  That  is 
what  I  shall  try  to  do  tonight  in  the  few  minutes  I  am  allotted — 
forty-five,  I  believe — I  am  just  going  to  throw  up  a  few  words 
to  try  to  bring  down  the  ideas  that  have  been  floating  in  my  sky 
since  I  was  asked  to  come  out  here. 


346  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

I  have  been  asked  to  speak  about  the  Illinois  of  the  future, 
but  I  shall  speak  rather  of  America — of  the  America  that  could 
not  be  the  America  she  is  except  for  what  happened  a  hundred 
years  ago.  It  is  upon  that  tree  that  I  would  gather  my  little 
swarm  of  bees  in  your  presence. 

I  once  heard  a  lecturer  down  in  New  York  trying  to  amuse 
an  audience  by  telling  an  experience  he  had  had  out  here  some- 
where. He  said  he  was  lecturing  on  the  Mediterranean  Ocean 
and  in  order  to  get  his  audience  interested,  he  asked  what  body 
of  water  was  in  the  middle  of  the  earth,  and  one  boy  put  up  his 
hand  and  the  lecturer  asked  him  what  it  was,  and  he  said,  the 
Sangamon  Eiver.  And  the  lecturer  to  make  his  story  still  more 
amusing  pronounced  it  the  San-gam-'on  Eiver.  I  went  to  the 
lecturer  afterwards — he  did  not  know  very  much  about  this  country 
— and  I  said  to  him,  "the  boy  spoke  truer  than  you  thought  when 
he  said  the  Sangamon  Eiver  is  the  water  in  the  middle  of  the 
earth,  because  Abraham  Lincoln  lived  here  and  his  dust  lies  on  its 
shores. 

I  went  out  to  see  that  place  today — his  tomb — and  I  thought, 
as  I  was  telling  you — I  thought  of  an  experience  of  mine — I  kept 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  great  hall  in  my  office  when  I  lived  in 
New  York  City,  a  splendid  head  of  Lincoln.  One  Sunday  morn- 
ing when  I  should  not  have  been  at  my  office,  I  was  alone  with 
my  boy — he  opened  the  door  and  looked  out,  and  he  said,  "Is  no 
one  here?"  I  said  "No."  He  said,  "No  one  except  you  and  me 
and  Lincoln."  To  him  Lincoln  was  a  reality.  And  so  I  can 
somehow  feel  that  there  is  no  one  there  except  you  and  me  and 
Lincoln.  This  is  the  middle  of  the  earth. 

I  have  just  come,  within  the  month,  from  the  ocean  that  was 
in  the  middle  of  the  earth,  from  traveling  around  its  coasts.  I 
was  first  of  all  in  Italy,  and  then  I  went  to  Corfu,  that  beautiful 
island  upon  whose  shores  Ulysses  was  thrown  at  the  end  of  his 
wandering.  A  beautiful  island  it  is.  The  ex-Kaiser  has  a  palace 
on  top  of  the  hill.  I  saw  that  palace.  I  was  visiting  the  con- 
valescent camps  down  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  My  Ford  grew  so 
democratic  that  it  refused  to  climb  the  hill.  It  is  said 
that  the  ex-Kaiser  intends  to  go  to  that  palace.  I  hope  not. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  347 

He  should  never  be  permitted  to  go  there — it  is  too  beautiful  a 
place.  I  went  over  the  hills  of  Albania  and  saw  what  was  left  of 
Servia,  and  then  I  went  on  by  Macedon,  the  place  where  Alexander 
the  Great  was  born.  I  passed  through  the  place  where  St.  Paul 
had  preached  to  the  Thessalonians  and  had  written  some  of  his 
epistles;  and  then  on  down  through  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  be- 
holding in  the  distance  the  island  on  which  John  had  written  his 
Book  of  Kevelation,  and  then  on  to  Egypt,  where  I  found  people 
living  much  as  they  must  have  lived  two  thousand  years  ago;  and 
then  I  went  on  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  I  have  been  for  the  last 
four  months  before  my  return,  as  head  of  the  Eed  Cross  mission 
to  the  Holy  Land.  I  went  by  railroad  first  and  made  the  trip 
over  night.  You  remember  that  the  children  of  Israel  spent  forty 
years  in  making  that  journey  from  Egypt  into  the  land  of  Canaan. 
Later  I  made  the  trip  by  aeroplane  in  two  and  one-half  hours, 
but  I  went  first  by  rail — over  rails  that  had  been  furnished  by 
America — and  alongside  I  saw  a  water  pipe  running  east  from  the 
Nile  up  into  Palestine,  and  the  water  pipe  had  been  furnished,  I 
was  told,  by  firms  within  this  valley.  It  is  said  in  an  Arabic  pro- 
verb that  not  until  the  water  of  the  Nile  runs  into  Palestine  will 
the  Turk  be  driven  from  Jerusalem.  The  water  now  runs  from 
the  Nile  into  Palestine  and  the  Turk  has  been  driven  from  Jeru- 
salem. I  am  sorry  we  had  no  part  in  driving  him  out. 
I  felt  that  rebuke — I  know  Judge  Cartwright  will  remember 
this,  if  no  body  else  in  the  House  does  (except  perhaps  the  minis- 
ters), that  Deborah  gave  to  one  of  the  tribes  (Eeuben)  for  not 
coming  to  the  help  of  Israel  when  they  were  fighting  against  their 
enemy,  although  a  splendid  answer  was  made  on  the  western  front. 
We  had  not  part  in  the  actual  recovery  of  the  land,  but  we  had  a 
splendid  part  in  ministering  to  those  who  had  been  stricken  by 
the  war.  I  am  not  going  to  speak  of  that,  but  simply  of  this  little 
land,  this  little  land  which  I  traveled  over  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  so  narrow  a  land  it  is  that  I  walked  from  one  side  to  the 
other  of  it — it  is  just  about  the  distance  from  here  to  Peoria,  the 
way  I  walked.  I  walked  from  Joppa  to  Jerusalem  and  then  down 
to  Jericho,  only  sixty-three  miles,  and  then  from  Beersheba  to  the 
northern  end — less  than  two  hundred  miles,  or  not  more  than  from 


348  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

here  to  Chicago,  and  I  am  proud  to  say  to  you  my  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Illinois,  I  had  the  greatest  privilege  of  my  life  in  being 
permitted  to  go — the  first  American  citizen  to  go  into  Nazareth 
after  it  had  been  taken  from  the  Turks,  except  perhaps  the  military 
attache;  and  also  I  had  the  great  honor  to  go,  the  only  person  aside 
from  the  staif  of  General  Allenby,  into  Dasmascus  the  day  he  made 
his  entry.  I  speak  of  that  that  you  may  share  this  pleasure  and 
honor  with  me.  That  little  land  was  the  centre  of  the  earth — the 
middle  of  the  earth.  The  land  from  which  we  got  our  Ten  Com- 
mandments. I  could  see  Mount  Sinai  as  I  journeyed  by  aeroplane 
across  the  Ked  Sea  without  getting  my  feet  wet.  I  could  see  Mount 
Sinai  oif  in  the  distance.  This  little  land  from  which  we  get  our 
Beatitudes,  the  Ten  Commandments  and  the  two  greater  command- 
ments that  are  the  basis  of  our  civilization.  That  land  seems  a 
long  way  off  now.  It  was  on  my  horizon  as  a  boy  when  I  read  of  it 
at  my  mother's  knee  here  in  Illinois — just  over  the  horizon,  but  I 
saw  it  out  yonder  and  it  seemed  a  long  way  from  these  prairies  of 
Illinois. 

I  was  walking  one  night  and  I  fell  in  with  some  British  Tom- 
mies. I  was  very  much  in  need  of  water.  I  was  some  distance  from 
the  wells  of  Sychar,  and  I  asked  where  I  could  get  water  and  they 
pointed  to  the  camp.  I  went  to  the  camp  and  it  was  the  camp  of 
the  First  Irish  Eegiment  down  in  one  of  the  valleys  of  Palestine. 
I  asked  for  water  and  I  was  taken  to  the  place  where  the  water 
was  kept  by  a  fine  Irish  strip  of  a  lad.  He  brought  the  water  out 
of  great  skins  which  were  carried  in  by  the  camels  during  the  day. 
The  water  was  not  very  cold — there  was  no  ice  in  Palestine.  I 
said  to  the  boy,  "What  part  of  Ireland  did  you  come  from?"  He 
replied,  "Tipperary."  And  I  said  to  him,  "My  lad  you  are  indeed 
a  long  way  from  home."  And  Mount  Nebo  and  those  barren 
places  that  seemed  a  long,  long  way  from  this  rich  valley.  I 
wish  you  could  see  the  horizon  of  that  land  from  which  I  have 
just  come — that  land  with  its  barrenness  and  its  misery,  but  that 
land  with  all  its  great  associations — you  would  the  better  appreci- 
ate— you  would  know  as  I  know  that  this  is  the  middle  of  the 
earth,  for  this  is  the  place  where  that  spirit  of  human  brother- 
hood which  was  taught  there  in  that  land,  has  its  highest  expres- 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  349 

sion,  its  noblest  expression  in  the  democracy  which  was  exempli- 
fied in  our  Lincoln. 

Here,  in  America!  I  have  been  thinking  when  the  name 
America  was  first  put  upon  the  printed  page  in  southeastern 
France — that  part  of  France  where  many  of  our  boys  were  in  the 
first  days  of  the  war  and  near  which  some  of  them  are  even  now. 
In  that  little  village  to  which  I  have  often  made  a  pilgrimage.  It 
was  there  that  this  name  was  written  in  a  book  called  Ptolemy's 
Cosmography,  a  new  edition  to  it.  I  was  back  there  in  the  war  and 
inquired  for  a  bookseller  who  had  given  me,  when  I  was  there 
before,  a  reproduction  of  this  book — the  original  is  over  in  Strass- 
burg.  When  I  came  back  the  second  time  they  said  he  had  gone. 
He  was  crossing  the  bridge  between  the  two  parts  of  the  village 
and  had  both  legs  shot  off.  When  he  came  to  die  he  said,  "Alas 
(I  have  been  thinking  of  this  many  times  in  the  last  few  days), 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  carry  flowers  to  Strassburg."  The  flowers 
have  been  carried  back  to  Strassburg,  but  by  American  boys.  It 
was  there  that  the  name  of  America  was  first  written  upon  the 
printed  page.  It  was  an  edition  of  Ptolemy's  Cosmography,  but 
at  the  moment  it  was  being  printed,  in  Berlin  there  was  a  man 
working  out  a  new  theory  (you  see  I  have  become  a  school  teacher 
again) — this  theory  called  the  Copernican  Theory — a  theory  in 
which  the  sun  does  not  revolve  around  the  earth,  but  the  earth 
revolves  around  the  sun.  America  was,  in  a  sense,  under  the 
Ptolemy  theory  or  system;  she  had  her  national  existence  under 
the  Copernican  theory  or  system,  a  system  under  which  the  indi- 
vidual becomes  infinitesimally  small,  but  in  which  the  earth  be- 
comes a  part  of  the  great  universe.  And  so  we  have  begun  to 
appreciate  our  relationship,  I  think,  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  It 
was  an  astronomical  or  infinite  distance,  and  it  was  under  that 
astronomical  distance  that  our  fathers  came  to  this  place.  I  can 
hear  my  own  father  in  a  little  room  up  here  in  the  prairie,  singing 
a  song  which  I  have  not  heard  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains, 
a  song  which  some  of  you,  perhaps,  still  remember: 


350  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

"I'm  a  pilgrim  and  I'm  a  stranger, 
I  can  tarry,  I  can  tarry  but  a  night. 
Do  not  detain  me,  for  I  am  going, 
To  where  the  fountains  are  ever  flowing. 
I'm  a  pilgrim  and  I'm  a  stranger, 
I  can  tarry,  I  can  tarry  but  a  night." 

It  was,  as  I  said,  a  cosmography  (although  that  seems  rather  a 
large  word),  a  cosmography  of  infinite  distance.  We  have  lived 
always  out  here  at  any  rate,  under  the  Copernican  system. 

I  have  written  here  (indicating  the  manuscript  which  he  held 
in  his  hand),  more  or  less  of  what  I  intended  to  say  tonight,  but 
I  think  a  portion  of  it  at  any  rate  will  have  to  be  left  to  the 
records,  but  I  can  outline  to  you  what  I  intended  to  say  about  this 
America.  America  that  has  not  by  chance  taken  the  stars  and 
put  them  in  the  field  of  our  flag.  They  are  cosmic  symbols  gathered 
from  the  immeasurable  universe.  This  America  of  cosmic  horizon, 
of  starry  symbols  and  of  universal  sympathy,  is  clearly  not  a 
geographic  comet,  though  one  cannot  disassociate  the  soul  of 
America  from  its  body.  It  is  only  through  the  identification  of 
this  spirit  with  a  love  of  the  physical  body  that  it  can  become 
an  international  and  a  cosmic  influence.  Without  its  incarnation 
between  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude,  it  would  be  a  nebulous 
internationalism  that  we  should  have,  a  cosmic  life  love  that, 
eschewing  nationalism,  would  come  in  the  end  to  nothing. 

I  have  written  here  what  I  hope  we  may  teach  our  children — 
the  love  of  this  land.  They  may  come  to  know  its  beauty,  its 
grandeur,  the  miraculous  productivity  of  this  land;  how  the  Al- 
mighty has  prepared  its  wealth  through  millions  of  years;  how 
the  wind  has  kept  it  swept  clean;  how  the  waters  drain  it;  how 
these  same  winds  bring  clouds  to  nourish  it,  and  how  the  seasons 
in  their  ceaseless  round  bring  seed-time  and  harvest.  Even  before 
our  children  come  to  know  the  history  which  has  given  this  land 
its  soul,  they  should  come  to  know  and  love  its  wondrous  beauty. 

I  have  set  forth  here  some  definitions  which  I  hope  they  may 
learn:  descriptions  which  are  given,  not  by  geographers  as  we  call 
them,  but  by  poets  and  by  artists,  so  that  the  children  may  come 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  351 

to  love  this  land  as  the  children  of  France  love  their  land  and  the 
children  of  Italy  love  their  land. 

Here  is  the  description  of  the  Illinois  prairie  which  I  came 
upon — the  prairie  as  some  of  you  knew  these  prairies:  a  "sea  of 
grass  and  flowers,  from  Mr.  Francis  Grierson's  description  of  the 
"Lincoln  Country."  "A  breeze  springs  up  from  the  shores  of  old 
Kentucky  or  from  across  the  Mississippi  and  the  plains  of  Kansas, 
gathering  force  as  the  hours  steal  on,  gradually  changing  the  aspect 
of  nature  by  an  undulating  motion  of  the  grass,  until  the  breeze 
becomes  a  gale,  and  behold  the  prairie  a  rolling  sea.  The  pennant- 
like  blades  dip  before  the  storm  in  low  rushing  billows  as  of 
myriads  of  green  birds  skimming  the  surface.  When  clouds  fleck 
the  far  horizon  with  dim  shifting  vapors,  shadows  as  of  long  gray 
winds,  swoop  down  over  the  prairie,  while  here  and  there  immense 
veils  rise  and  fall  and  sweep  on  towards  the  sky  line." 

That  is  not  in  our  geographies,  but  it  is  a  grand  description 
of  beautiful  Illinois  in  those  days  as  we  remember  the  prairie 
grass. 

It  is  an  America  that  is  more  than  the  land  we  live  on,  the 
objective  land.  Dear  as  it  is  in  its  association  and  fair  as  it  is  in 
its  inherent  beauty,  America  has  another  content  than  its  physical 
resource.  It  is  more  than  the  land  we  live  on,  more  than  the  land 
we  live  from,  that  is,  the  land  from  which  we  get  our  living,  this 
wonderful  land  which  here  in  Illinois  yields  corn  for  the  world, 
two  or  three  crops  of  alfalfa  out  in  Colorado,  wheat  for  the  world 
in  Minnesota,  and  only  satisfying  scenery  in  New  Hampshire — 
the  land  which  has  gold  in  its  veins  in  California,  silver  in  Colo- 
rado, lead  in  Missouri,  coal  in  West  Virginia,  oil  in  Pennsylvania 
and  natural  gas  in  Indiana;  the  land  which,  like  a  magician,  has 
taken  the  same  elements  out  of  the  soil  and  the  sky,  and  makes  an 
ear  of  corn  in  Illinois,  a  bunch  of  grapes  in  western  New  York,  a 
peach  in  Delaware,  a  cranberry  in  New  Jersey,  and  a  nitrogenous 
legume  in  Massachusetts ;  a  land  which,  with  slight  assistance  from 
synthetic  chemistry  and  horticultural  grafting,  makes  figs  to  grow 
on  thistles  and  olive  oil  to  flow  from  cotton  seed,  the  rarest  perfume 
to  rise  from  coal  tar  and  maraschino  cherries  to  ripen  where 
cherry  trees  have  never  been  seen ;  the  land  which,  stretching  from 


352 

the  fields  of  the  Lady  of  the  Snows  to  the  tropic  seas,  is  now  mobil- 
izing the  very  elements  of  its  soil  and  commandeering  the  nitrogen 
in  its  atmosphere  to  fight  for  the  freedom  of  the  world. 

I  must  not  stop  to  try  to  tell  you  what  those  mysteries  are 
that  lie  in  every  field.  They  are,  of  course,  in  other  lands  but  with 
this  difference,  that  every  boy  and  girl  is  free  to  follow  these 
mysteries  into  the  presence  of  the  infinite.  That  is  the  heritage 
of  their  freedom.  Neither  poverty  nor  the  social  obscurity  of 
parents,  nor  the  predestinations  of  autocracy  bar  the  way  for  them. 

And  here  should  every  child  who  comes  upon  this  land  be  in- 
structed not  only  in  the  geography  of  its  visible  beauty,  but  in  the 
geography  of  its  marvelous  bounty,  and  be  made  to  know  what  the 
freedom  of  his  life  in  America  opens  to  him  in  the  miracles  of  the 
fields,  the  shop  and  the  studio. 

I  have  seen  these  miracles  with  my  own  eyes  in  many  states, 
as  doubtless  you  have.  Out  in  the  prairies  here  in  Illinois  I  have 
seen  flowers  fashioned  in  all  the  complicated  beauty  of  the  domestic 
orchid,  until  that  same  soil  was  made  to  grow  the  tasselled  corn; 
in  Maryland  I  can  still  hear  the  vendors  as  they  cry  their  Ann 
Arundel  vegetables  beneath  the  windows;  in  New  Hampshire  I 
saw  a  sign  as  if  it  were  written  for  the  whole  state,  "We  make 
everything  that  has  grit  in  it;"  in  Georgia  I  have  seen  the  little 
cotton  boll  in  its  productivity  (and  they  make  more  cotton-seed 
oil  (so-called  olive  oil)  in  the  southern  states  than  all  the  olive 
trees  in  the  world  produce — I  have  seen  the  little  cotton  boll  be- 
come a  razor  back  hog,  a  sheep,  a  silk  worm,  and  a  dirigible  bal- 
loon, all  wrapped  up  in  the  most  beautiful  package  that  the  Al- 
mighty ever  tied  to  the  twig  of  a  bush;  in  California  where  the 
beneficent  gods  and  the  giants  of  the  frosts  that  creep  down  from 
the  snow-peaked  mountains  are  ever  at  battle ;  in  New  York,  where, 
with  the  assistance  of  fertilizer,  hot-house  and  refrigerator,  iso- 
therms are  banished,  all  the  zones  simulated,  all  soils  synthesized, 
and  even  the  forces  of  Heaven  converted  into  a  short  of  panurgic 
fertility  and  power. 

There  is  more  poetry  in  such  a  physical  geography  than  in 
many  anthologies ;  more  art  than  is  to  be  found  in  many  museums. 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  353 

But  a  poet  is  needed  to  teach  this  geography  of  America's  bounty 
as  well  as  that  of  our  beauty. 

Then  there  should  be  chapters  that  tell  of  her  mission;  chap- 
ters of  which  we  have  two  or  three  here  tonight.  I  must  not  stop 
to  speak  of  these.  Places  where  our  great  men  have  lived — her 
holy  places.  I  attended  not  long  ago  a  dinner  at  which  a  great 
scientist  from  Servia  (and  we  owe  Servia  a  great  debt  for  what 
that  man  has  given  to  us),  told  a  conversation  which  he  had  with 
an  old  man  of  his  country  who  had  once  visited  the  Holy  Land. 
This  old  man  had  told  the  scientist  of  the  weariness  of  the  way 
and  the  agony  of  joy  with  which  he  at  last  looked  down  upon  the 
Holy  Land.  And  the  scientist  said,  "I  understand  what  your 
feeling  is,  for  I,  too,  have  been  in  a  holy  place."  "Where?"  said 
the  old  man  ?  He  said,  "In  America."  "Well,"  said  the  old  man, 
"there  are  no  holy  places  in  America."  And  then  this  scientist 
told  him  of  a  place  where  was  born  a  man  who  had  discovered  some 
of  the  great  universal  laws  of  God  and  had  made  their  application. 
It  was  a  holy  place,  as  this  is  a  holy  place.  And  wherever  life  in 
its  highest  heroisms  has  hallowed  a  spot,  it  should  become  a  place 
in  the  real  America,  the  conscious  possession  of  the  entire  people. 

But  America  has  more  than  this  beautiful  land,  more  than 
its  miracled  products,  more  than  its  greatest  individual  souls, 
more  than  all  of  them  together.  Above  these  as  an  indescribable 
perfume  there  arises  an  abstraction  America,  for  America  is  a 
political  idea,  a  moral  purpose,  a  prayer  for  a  better  world  uttered 
in  the  face  of  the  inexorable  forces  of  nature  that  only  seem  hostile 
because  we  do  not  understand  them,  uttered  in  the  presence  of  the 
stars  that  seemed  to  fight  with  Deborah  and  Barak  of  old,  and  that 
literally  do  fight  with  America  today. 

How  varied  the  conception  of  America  is,  a  few  illustrative 
definitions  will  suggest.  A  nation  "that  can  only  achieve  its  aims 
in  carrying  a  message  to  mankind  of  what  has  been  found  possible 
on  this  continent;"  "a  spirit  that  hopes  grandly  for  the  race;"  "a 
striving  for  liberty,  justice  and  truth;"  "a  land  of  unlimited 
opportunity,"  or,  as  Emerson  defined  it  simply  "opportunity," 
whose  entrance  doors  open  to  all  comers  but  whose  inner  doors  are 

—23  C  C 


354  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

also  kept  open  so  that  a  man  may  pass  from  room  to  room  so 
long  as  he  has  strength  to  open  the  doors;"  the  "free  common- 
wealth that  comes  nearest  to  the  illustration  of  the  national 
equality  of  all  men ;"  "God's  crucible ;"  "a  place  to  keep  alive  faith 
in  humanity;"  "the  only  nation  in  the  world  that  has  been  built 
consciously  and  freely  on  pure  ideals  and  pure  thoughts;"  the 
"concrete  expression  of  that  dream  of  freedom  to  work  that  slumb- 
ers in  every  man's  soul;"  a  "country  with  .a  part  to  play  in  the 
redemption  of  humanity  and  the  better  organization  of  the  world ;" 
a  country  in  which  the  "ideal  passions  of  patriotism,  of  liberty, 
of  loyalty  to  home  and  nation,  of  humanitarianism  and  missionary 
effort  have  all  burned  with  a  clear  flame;"  the  "spirit  of  a  great 
people  in  the  search  for  more  abundant  life." 

And  between  these  extremes  of  view,  lies  dimly  and  perhaps 
not  clearly  denned  the  "America"  that  lives  in  the  millions  who 
live  in  the  land  that  we  call  America. 

The  definition  of  America  has  not  been  changed,  but  suddenly 
the  nation  has  found  a  necessity  for  employing  a  new  language  in 
preserving  this  definition. 

The  consciousness  which  has  been  written  in  sentences  that 
some  have  mocked  as  mere  platitudes,  empty  husks,  has  asserted 
itself  under  a  barbaric  assault  upon  this  peace-prone  and  seem- 
ingly harmless  body  of  words,  in  a  language  which  devils  can 
understand  but  angels  must  use  when  hell  opens  its  doors. 

America  seems  outwardly  a  new  national  being,  but  she  is 
only  proving  her  cosmic  words,  she  is  rising  to  planetary  and  to 
cosmic  deeds.  And  Illinois,  whose  admission  into  this  America  we 
celebrate  tonight,  lying  in  the  heart  of  what  some  years  ago  I 
called,  when  speaking  in  France,  "the  valley  of  the  new  democ- 
racy," is  the  very  middle  of  the  new  middle  land  of  the  earth — the 
State  which  embraces  the  Sangamon  Eiver  and  which  has  given 
the  highest  expression  of  that  democracy  for  which  we  are  trying 
to  make  the  whole  world  a  safe  place. 

Some  years  ago,  a  young  man  born  on  these  prairies  was  lying 
near  imagined  death  in  a  New  York  hospital.  He  asked  the  nurse 
what  month  it  was,  and  she  said  it  was  May.  He  said,  "I  cannot 
die  now."  Then  he  heard  the  meadow  lark  singing  out  over  the 


OFFICIAL  CELEBRATIONS  355 

prairie  fields  filled  with  flowers,  and  he  heard  the  frogs  croaking 
in  what  we  used  to  call  the  sloughs,  and  then  he  heard  the  crane 
honking  over  head,  and  he  said,  "I  cannot  die  now,  it  is  plowing 
time/'  And  then  in  the  struggle  between  the  desire  to  justify  the 
name  his  mother  had  given  him  in  his  contest  with  men  out  in 
the  world,  and  with  the  desire  to  go  back  again  to  his  land,  the 
fields  that  he  loved,  he  prayed  that  he  might  be  taken  back  and 
laid  beneath  the  tree  that  was  in  the  middle  of  the  field  he  had 
plowed;  that  he  might  lie  there  throughout  the  winter  and  then 
in  the  spring  climb  with  the  sap  up  into  the  branches  of  the  tree 
and  look  out  over  those  fields  with  their  infinite  distance  that  I 
have  been  seeing  today — and  the  field  in  which  that  tree  stood 
was  the  field  from  which  I  heard  the  bees  one  day,  and  the  tree 
was  a  cotton-wood  tree.  I  suppose  it  is  gone  long  since.  But  for 
me  that  tree  still  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  earth,  in  the  state 
which  with  all  the  enlarging  new  world  horizons  is  still  the  middle 
of  the  new  earth,  for  the  old  heavens  and  the  old  earth  have 
passed  away  and  there  is  no  more  sea  separating  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  And  as  America  enters  upon  this  new  era  of  her  life,  and 
Illinois  enters  upon  the  second  century  of  her's — God  bless  them 
both. 


Documents 


REPORT  OF  DIRECTOR  HUGH  S.  MAGILL,  JR.,  TO  THE 

ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION, 

DECEMBER  31,  1918 

I  have  been  asked  to  confine  my  report  chiefly  to  the  state- 
wide celebration.  The  theme  is  so  large  that  it  will  be  impossible 
for  me,  in  the  limited  space  at  my  disposal,  to  give  more  than  a 
mere  epitome  of  what  was  undertaken  and  what  has  been  accom- 
plished. When  we  consider  that  more  than  a  thousand  celebra- 
tions were  held,  at  least  a  third  of  which  are  deserving  of  special 
note,  not  to  mention  the  intensive  study  of  Illinois  history  that 
was  carried  on  in  all  the  schools  of  the  State,  both  public  and 
private,  and  in  hundreds  of  clubs  and  societies,  we  realize  that  a 
complete,  comprehensive  story  of  the  Centennial  observances  held 
throughout  the  State  would  fill  volumes.  I  am  obliged,  therefore, 
to  confine  my  report  to  an  account  of  the  plans  and  preparations 
that  were  made,  and  the  principal  features  of  the  celebrations  held, 
omitting  the  details  of  the  different  events. 

Senator  Kent  E.  Keller,  a  member  of  the  first  Commission,  was 
chairman  of  the  first  Committee  on  State-wide  Celebration.  He 
did  much  to  acquaint  the  people  of  the  State  with  the  fact  that 
the  Centennial  year  was  approaching,  and  that  it  should  be  fit- 
tingly observed.  In  this  he  was  ably  assisted  by  Mr.  S.  Leigh  Call,, 
who  had  charge  of  the  newspaper  publicity  for  the  Commission  at 
that  time.  When  the  Supreme  Court  decided  in  the  Fergus  suits,, 
that  a  legislative  committee  could  not  perform  functions  such  as 
had  been  delegated  to  the  Centennial  Commission  by  a  joint  reso- 
lution of  the  General  Assembly,  the  Commission,  of  which  Mr. 
Keller  was  a  member,  was  dissolved. 

In  January,  1916,  at  the  special  session  of  the  Forty-ninth 
General  Assembly,  an  act  was  passed  creating  a  Centennial  Com- 
mission of  fifteen  members,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Governor. 
Among  those  appointed  on  this  Commission,  was  Rev.  Royal  W. 

359 


360  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Ennis,  who  was  made  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  State-wide 
Celebration,  and  has  remained  at  the  head  of  this  important  com- 
mittee to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Ennis  devoted  a  large  amount  of 
time  and  thought  to  the  work  of  the  Commission,  particularly  be- 
fore the  office  of  director  was  created,  and  with  splendid  results. 
He  deserves  special  credit  for  what  was  accomplished. 

When  the  Commission  took  up  the  work  of  organizing  the 
counties  of  the  State  to  provide  for  county  celebrations,  it  was 
decided  to  appoint  an  ex  officio  committee  in  each  county,  consist- 
ing of  the  County  Judge,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
County  Clerk,  State's  Attorney,  and  Chairman  of  the  County 
Board.  These  ex  officio  committees  were  urged  to  form  a  perma- 
nent Centennial  organization  in  each  county,  either  by  assuming 
the  duties  themselves,  or  by  calling  a  mass  meeting  to  form  a 
county  organization.  Each  county  was  urged  to  prepare  for  a 
County  Centennial  Celebration.  It  was  suggested  that  such  cele- 
bration be  held  in  connection  with  the  county  fair,  Old  Soldiers' 
or  Old  Settlers'  annual  reunion,  or  on  some  special  date  any  time 
during  the  Centennial  year,  which  might  be  most  convenient. 
Many  of  these  committees  took  action  toward  the  carrying  out  the 
plans  suggested  by  the  Centennial  Commission. 

Governor  Lowden  recommended  that  the  Commission  appoint 
a  director,  who  should  devote  his  entire  time  to  promoting  the 
Centennial  celebrations  throughout  the  State.  In  July,  1917,  the 
Commission  selected  the  present  Director,  who  began  his  duties 
as  such  on  August  first.  Since  then  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time 
to  the  work  of  the  Commission,  having  resigned  his  position  as 
superintendent  of  the  Springfield  City  Schools,  to  take  up  this 
work. 

The  Commission  provided  an  office  for  the  Director  in  the 
State  House,  with  the  necessary  assistants.  Plans  were  at  once 
made  for  arousing  interest  throughout  the  State  in  the  coming 
celebration.  A  mailing  list  was  started,  which  has  been  developed 
since  until  it  now  numbers  about  fifteen  thousand.  Thousands 
of  letters  were  sent  out  to  public  officials,  superintendents  and 
principals  of  schools,  and  to  officers  of  organizations,  churches, 
clubs  and  societies,  urging  an  intensive  study  of  Illinois  history, 


DOCUMENTS  361 

particularly  in  the  schools.  It  was  urged  that  preparations  should 
be  made  for  a  general  observance  of  the  Centennial  during  the 
year,  1918. 

Since  assuming  his  duties  on  August  1,  1917,  the  Director  has 
delivered  more  than  two  hundred  addresses  throughout  Illinois, 
including  nearly  every  county  of  the  State.  These  have  been 
given  before  chautauquas,  teachers'  institutes,  conventions,  clubs 
and  societies.  In  all  these  addresses  it  was  urged  that  the  winning 
of  the  war  should  receive  first  consideration,  but  that  a  proper  ob- 
servance of  the  Centennial  would  greatly  assist  the  State  in  doing 
its  part.  In  an  address  before  the  Illinois  State  Bankers'  Asso- 
ciation, on  September  19,  1917,  the  Director  stated: 

"The  celebration  of  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  admis- 
sion of  Illinois  into  the  Union  must  not  in  any  way  divert  our 
minds  from  the  great  undertaking  in  which  all  America  is  en- 
gaged. A  study  of  the  wonderful  history  of  our  State,  and  a 
better  appreciation  of  the  great  sacrifice  and  service  rendered  by 
those  who  have  made  glorious  the  history  of  Illinois,  should  give 
us  inspiration  and  courage,  and  help  us  the  better  to  perform  our 
full  duty.  The  Centennial  celebration  will  be  no  mere  play 
festival,  but  should  call  forth  an  expression  of  the  finest  patriotic 
sentiment  of  our  people.  There  should  be  aroused  in  the  mind  of 
every  citizen  of  Illinois  a  solemn  pride  in  what  our  State  has 
accomplished,  and  a  strong  resolution  to  measure  up  to  the  high 
standards  which  our  fathers  have  set  for  us." 

In  the  first  Centennial  Bulletin  published  in  October,  1917, 
a  general  outline  was  given  for  state-wide  celebrations.  We  quote 
the  following: 

"The  Commission  offers  the  following  suggestions  for  a  state- 
wide celebration : 

"The  Study  of  Illinois  History. — Particular  attention  should 
be  given  to  the  lives  of  those  whose  service  and  sacrifice  have  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  the  blessings  enjoyed  by  us  today.  This 
study  should  be  emphasized  in  the  schools,  and  also  in  the  pro- 
grams of  civic  and  patriotic  organizations  throughout  the  State. 
There  is  a  .wealth  of  interesting  and  important  local  history  in 
.every  county  which  should  be  investigated  and  studied. 


362  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

"Historical  Pageants. — It  is  possible  for  every  county  to  pro- 
duce an  historical  pageant  and  in  this  most  entertaining  and  im- 
pressive manner  portray  the  particular  features  of  Illinois  history. 
Important  local  characters  and  events  should  receive  attention. 
The  Centennial  Commission  will  furnish  assistance  in  the  writing 
of  these  pageants  and  will  also  furnish  competent  advice  with 
respect  to  their  production. 

"County  Fairs  and  Expositions.— The  particular  feature  of 
these  should  be  a  comparison  of  the  latest  productions  with  the 
earlier  productions  of  a  like  kind,  showing  the  actual  progress 
made.  The  development  in  farm  machinery  from  the  primitive 
implements  to  the  most  modern  would  make  a  most  interesting  ex- 
hibit in  a  rural  community.  The  progress  made  in  transportation, 
manufacture,  and  the  various  lines  of  science  and  invention  offer 
suggestions  for  an  exhibition  of  the  progress  of  a  hundred  years. 
The  Illinois  Centennial  affords  a  splendid  incentive  for  such  ex- 
positions. 

"Chautauquas,  Conventions,  Reunions  and  Homecomings. — 
During  the  Centennial  year  the  different  organizations  and 
societies  of  the  State  should  hold  Centennial  meetings.  Each  of 
these  organizations  might  well  take  an  inventory  of  its  progress, 
and  consider  its  relation  to  the  development  and  welfare  of  Illinois. 
Civic  and  patriotic  societies  may  hold  special  meetings.  Reunions 
of  old  soldiers  and  old  settlers,  with  reminiscences  of  the  |past, 
should  be  features  of  county  celebrations.  This  generation  should 
be  impressed  with  its  debt  of  obligation  to  those  who  have  made 
possible  the  privileges  which  we  enjoy. 

"Memorials  and  Historical  Markings. — The  character  of  a 
people  may  be  judged  by  its  appreciation  of  the  great  personalities 
and  important  events  that  have  moulded  its  history.  The  Cen- 
tennial furnishes  an  incentive  for  the  erection  of  permanent 
memorials,  and  the  marking  of  historic  places.  In  each  com- 
munity something  permanent  should  be  left  as  a  Centennial 
memorial/' 

At  about  this  time  Mr.  Horace  H.  Bancroft,  of  Jacksonville, 
was  elected  by  the  Commission  as  assistant  director.  Mr.  Bancroft 
undertook  the  particular  work  of  forming  county  Centennial  or- 


DOCUMENTS  363 

ganizations.  He  was  very  successful,  and  his  work  was  of  the 
highest  character,  Through  his  personal  efforts,  active  Centennial 
organizations  were  formed  in  more  than  half  the  counties  of  the 
State,  and  preliminary  preparations  were  made  for  appropriate 
observances  during  the  Centennial  year. 

On  December  3,  1917,  a  meeting  of  delegates  from  local 
Centennial  associations  and  other  interested  persons  was  held  in 
the  Senate  Chamber,  at  which,  in  addition  to  the  formal  program, 
short  addresses  were  delivered  by  the  Director  and  the  Assistant 
Director,  the  Manager  of  Publicity,  and  by  Mr.  Wallace  Eice, 
pageant  writer,  all  having  to  do  with  the  state-wide  celebrations. 
Eepresentatives  from  different  parts  of  the  State  took  part  in  these 
discussions,  and  an  intense  interest  was  shown  in  the  plans  for  the 
Centennial  year  which  opened  on  that  day. 

A  particular  feature  of  the  state-wide  celebration  which  is 
deserving  of  special  note,  was  the  part  taken  by  State  organizations. 
From  the  very  beginning  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic  and 
the  Woman's  Belief  Corps,  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Eevo- 
lution,  and  other  patriotic  organizations,  manifested  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  coming  celebration.  On  June  6,  1917,  at  the  annual 
encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic,  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted: 

"We,  your  committee,  recommend  that  each  county  shall  hold 
a  Centennial  celebration,  that  a  committee  composed  of  Grand 
Army  men  be  appointed  to  arrange  for  the  military  side  of  the 
meeting,  and  that  they  may  use  all  the  auxiliary  organizations  of 
the  Grand  Army  as  aids  to  consummate  their  work,  and  that  each 
county  committee  see  that  a  proper  program  is  rendered  to  fitly 
represent  the  military  work  of  the  great  State  of  Illinois." 

The  Woman's  Belief  Corps  adopted  a  resolution,  which  is,  in 
part,  as  follows : 

"This  is  an  opportunity  which  the  Woman's  Belief  Corps  aux- 
iliary to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic  should  embrace,  to  per- 
petuate the  part  taken  by  our  organizations  and  our  makers  of 
history.  During  the  years  1860-1865,  Illinois  was  not  only  a 
leader  in  the  history  making  of  the  Middle  West,  but  of  the  nation 
as  well. 


364 

"It  is  desired  that  every  corps  shall  hold  a  Centennial  cele- 
bration; that  they  shall  invite  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  to 
unite  with  them  in  this  observance. 

"We  believe  that  the  military  history  of  the  State  should  be 
particularly  dwelt  upon  and  that  all  celebrations  should  be  of  a 
patriotic  nature. 

"It  is  also  desirable  that  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps*  should 
make  a  permanent  record  of  their  observance,  through  the  dedica- 
tion of  a  monument,  boulder,  building,  fountain  or  a  highway, 
and  these  should  be  marked  with  a  small  bronze  tablet  setting 
forth  the  fact  that  it  has  been  placed  there  by  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps.  In  counties  not  having  soldiers'  monuments,  a  monument 
or  marker  to  the  Union  Soldiers  would  be  appropriate,  or  a  marker 
to  the  Loyal  Women  of  the  North,  would  also  be  fitting." 

Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  secretary  of  the  commission,  and 
active  in  D.  A.  R.  work,  addressed  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Frank  W. 
Bahnsen,  of  Rock  Island,  then  state  regent,  in  which  the  follow- 
ing suggestion  was  made: 

"It  has  been  suggested  that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  for  the 
D.  A.  R.  to  contribute  a  bronze  tablet  with  proper  inscription  as 
a  part  of  its  work  for  the  State  Centennial  to  each  county  which 
erects  a  permanent  memorial.  For  instance,  if  a  monument  or 
building  or  a  fountain  should  be  erected  by  the  county,  on  this 
memorial  should  be  placed  a  bronze  tablet,  the  gift  of  the  D.  A.  R. 
This  matter  has  several  times  been  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
Centennial  Commission  and  I  have  been  requested  to  write  to  you 
on  this  subject. 

"I  do  not  want  the  D.  A.  R.  to  forget  their  obligation  to  the 
Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association,  and  I  know  the  great  num- 
ber of  calls  on  every  one  at  this  time,  but  I  feel  that  this  would 
be  a  prominent  part  in  the  marking  of  the  Centennial  and  it 
would  not  mean  a  very  large  cost." 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  deserve  particular 
credit  for  securing  the  erection  of  a  great  many  memorials  and 
markers  throughout  the  State.  This  organization  was  active 
throughout  the  Centennial  year  in  promoting  this  work,  which 
was  one  of  the  most  valuable  features  of  the  celebration. 


*  The   Woman's   Relief   Corps    of   the    State    of   Illinois   placed   a   Bronze 
Tablet  in  Memorial  Hall,  Capitol  Building,  February  22,  1918. 


DOCUMENTS  365 

Among  other  State  organizations  which  were  very  active  in 
promoting  appropriate  Centennial  observances,  might  be  men- 
tioned :  the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  the  State  Bankers' 
Association,  the  State  Bar  Association,  the  State  Medical  Society, 
the  State  Farmers'  Institute,  the  State  Sunday  School  Association, 
the  Hardware  Dealers  Association,  the  Retail  Clothiers'  Associa- 
tion, the  Shoe  Dealers  Association,  the  State  Music  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation, the  Illinois  Press  Association,  and  a  score  of  others.  The 
Chambers  of  Commerce  and  Commercial  Associations  in  the  various 
cities  of  the  State  lent  their  influence  very  heartily  to  the  promor 
tion  of  appropriate  celebrations  in  their  several  communities. 

The  colleges  of  Illinois  early  recognized  the  importance  of  the 
Centennial  year.  The  Federation  of  Illinois  Colleges,  at  a  meeting 
held  in  Decatur  in  October,  1917,  adopted  the  following  report, 
submitted  by  the  Committee  on  Centennial  Celebrations : 

"1.  That  each  college  should  secure  and  display  the  Cen- 
tennial banner  of  the  State  throughout  the  year. 

"2.  That  a  credit  course  be  offered  in  Illinois  history  to  the 
colleges. 

"3.  That  a  course  of  addresses  by  professors  or  others  be 
given  throughout  the  year  on  various  important  phases  of  Illinois 
history. 

"4.  That  the  colleges  cooperate  in  every  way  possible  with 
Centennial  committees,  both  local  and  State. 

"5.  That  assurance  of  the  willingness  of  the  colleges  and  the 
Federation  to  cooperate  be  given. 

"6.  That  a  College  Historical  Society  be  established  for 
furthering  the  work  in  Illinois  history. 

"7.  That  pageants  representing  important  phases  in  Illinois 
history  be  given. 

"8.  That  special  days  in  the  year  be  given  prominence — 
April  18,  October  6  and  December  3." 

The  schools  of  Illinois,  both  public  and  parochial,  placed 
particular  emphasis  on  the  study  of  Illinois  history.  The  Cen- 
tennial furnished  an  incentive  for  this  work,  and  the  more  than 
one  million  school  children  of  Illinois  were  brought  to  understand 
and  appreciate  the  wonderful  story  of  their  State  to  a  much  greater 


366  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

extent  than  could  possibly  have  been  accomplished  without  this 
special  incentive. 

The  "Six  Little  Centennial  Plays"  prepared  by  Mr.  Wallace 
Kice,  pageant  writer  for  the  commission,  were  used  in  hundreds 
of  the  schools  of  the  State,  both  public  and  private.  High  schools 
and  academies  of  the  State  used  some  one  of  the  several  Centennial 
pageants  prepared  by  the  Commission,  "The  Pageant  of  the  Illi- 
nois Country/'  and  "The  Masque  of  Illinois,"  by  Mr.  Kice,  and 
"The  Wonderful  Story  of  Illinois,"  by  Miss  Grace  Owen.  Many 
others  produced  pageants  of  their  own  preparation,  many  of  which 
were  compiled  in  part  from  the  Centennial  pageants  furnished 
by  the  Commission. 

Complete  plans  for  a  state-wide  celebration  were  set  forth 
by  the  Director  in  the  Centennial  Bulletin  issued  by  the  Commis- 
sion in  February,  1918.  We  quote  the  following: 

"Every  intelligent,  patriotic  citizen  of  Illinois  recognizes  that 
the  one  all-important,  all-absorbing  subject  before  us  at  this  time 
is  the  winning  of  this  war.  To  fail  means  to  give  up  every  ideal 
of  liberty  and  democracy  upon  which  our  nation  was  founded  and 
which  our  people  have  cherished  throughout  our  nation's  life.  To 
win  means  to  establish  these  principles  forever,  and  extend  their 
blessings  to  all  the  people  of  every  nation  throughout  the  world. 
So  momentous  are  the  issues  that  to  win  this  cause  America  has 
dedicated  all  her  treasure,  all  her  efforts,  and  the  lives  of  her 
bravest  and  best. 

"What  effect  will  the  observance  of  the  Illinois  Centennial 
have  upon  the  people  of  Illinois  in  relation  to  the  winning  of  this 
war?  If  it  hinders  in  the  slightest  degree,  all  plans  and  prepar- 
ations should  be  given  up  at  once.  If  the  celebration  is  justified 
it  must  contribute  to  our  ultimate  success  and  triumph.  After 
a  very  serious  consideration  of  this  question,  it  is  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  those  upon  whom  has  been  placed  by  statute  the  re- 
sponsibility of  holding  the  celebration  that  a  patriotic  observance 
of  our  State  Centennial  will  assist  in  bringing  to  our  people  a 
fuller  appreciation  of  the  issues  of  the  war  and  give  us  inspiration 
and  courage  to  meet  heroically  and  generously  the  heavy  demands 
which  are  laid  upon  us.  Our  War  Governor,  whose  powerful  sup- 


DOCUMENTS  367 

port  of  the  war  is  recognized  throughout  the  nation,  believes 
a  patriotic  Centennial  observance  will  be  beneficial  and  has  so  de- 
clared in  his  message  of  October  29,  1917. 

"Some  of  the  leading  editorial  writers  of  other  states  have 
said  it  is  particularly  fortunate  that  Illinois,  which  gave  to  the 
nation  Lincoln  to  lead  in  that  great  struggle  to  preserve  free 
government  in  America,  should  observe  its  Centennial  at  a  time 
when  we  are  fighting  to  preserve  free  government  throughout  the 
world.  They  express  the  hope  that  the  patriotic  observance  of  this 
great  event  will  not  only  inspire  the  citizens  of  Illinois  to  nobler 
effort,  but  lend  an  inspiring  influence  to  the  people  of  the  other 
commonwealths  of  the  nation. 

"In  promoting  the  general  observance  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial, it  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  Centennial  Commission  to 
stimulate  an  interest  in  the  event,  and  an  appreciation  of  the 
opportunity  which  the  occasion  affords,  and  leave  the  working  out 
of  plans  and  programs  very  largely  to  the  local  organizations  and 
committees.  It  is  hoped  there  will  be  originality  and  variety  in 
the  different  programs,  rather  than  too  great  uniformity  and 
sameness.  While  the  most  important  events  of  our  State's  history 
should  be  recognized  in  all  celebrations,  the  local  history  of  each 
county  should  be  featured,  and  each  program  should  reflect  the 
thought  and  plan  of  the  committee  having  it  in  charge.  The  two 
important  considerations  are  that  every  program  should  be  based 
fundamentally  on  the  history  of  Illinois,  and  that  it  shall  be  de- 
cidedly patriotic  in  character. 

"It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  entire  year  1918  is 
Centennial  Year,  and  that  any  convenient  date  during  the 
year  will  be  an  appropriate  time  to  commemorate  the  admission  of 
Illinois  into  the  Union.  This  is  historically  correct.  Nathaniel 
Pope,  our  territorial  delegate,  presented  to  Congress  on  January 
16,  1818,  a  memorial  which  had  been  adopted  by  the  Territorial 
Legislature  of  Illinois,  requesting  Congress  to  take  the  necessary 
steps  to  permit  the  territory  to  organize  as  a  State.  On  April  18, 
1818,  the  Enabling  Act,  passed  by  Congress,  was  signed  by  the 
President  and  became  a  law.  This  authorized  the  territory  of 
Illinois  to  adopt  a  Constitution  and  form  a  State  Government, 


368  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

which  form  of  government  should  be  submitted  back  to  Congress 
for  approval.  The  delegates  to  the  Constitutional  Convention 
were  elected  in  July,  1818.  The  Constitutional  Convention  as- 
sembled in  Kaskaskia,  the  capital  of  the  territory,  on  the  first 
Monday  in  August,  1818,  and  the  Constitution  was  adopted  by  the 
convention  on  the  26th  day  of  August.  The  elective  State  officers 
provided  for  in  the  Constitution  were  elected  on  September  17-19, 
1818.  The  first  General  Assembly  convened  at  Kaskaskia  on 
October  5,  1818,  and  the  first  Governor  was  inaugurated  on  October 
6,  1818.  The  action  which  had  been  taken  pursuant  to  the  Enabl- 
ing Act  was  ratified  by  Congress  on  December  3,  1818,  and  Illinois 
was  formally  admitted  as  the  twenty-first  State  in  the  American 
Union. 

"From  the  above  facts  it  is  clear  that  the  admission  of  Illi- 
nois was  a  process  which  began  in  January,  1818,  and  was  con- 
cluded in  December,  1818,  and  that,  therefore,  the  entire  year 
1918  commemorates  the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the  Union.  The 
only  precaution  necessary  is  that  adjacent  counties  and  communi- 
ties should  not  hold  their  celebrations  on  the  same  dates,  and  it 
might  be  better  not  to  hold  county  celebrations  at  the  time  of  the 
official  celebrations  at  the  State  Capital.  It  is  suggested  that  the 
people  of  each  county  and  community  visit  the  celebrations  held 
in  the  surrounding  counties  and  communities  in  order  that  the 
interest  taken  may  be  as  widespread  as  possible. 

"The  official  State  celebrations  will  be  held  at  the  State 
Capital.  The  Commission  would  like  to  have  an  official  county 
celebration  in  every  county,  and  in  addition  thereto  local  celebra- 
tions in  every  city,  village  and  community,  including  every  school 
in  the  State.  The  various  societies  and  organizations  of  the  State 
should  plan  Centennial  programs  for  their  annual  meetings  to  be 
held  in  1918. 

"The  county  celebrations  will  be  held  under  the  auspices  of 
the  respective  County  Centennial  Committees.  These  committees 
are  usually  made  up  of  representatives  from  all  parts  of  the  county 
and  generally  have  the  official  endorsement  and  support  of  the 
county  board.  They  elect  their  own  officers,  appoint  their  own 
committees,  select  the  time  for  the  celebration  and  arrange  their 


DOCUMENTS  369 

own  programs.  In  some  counties  the  celebrations  will  be  held  in 
connection  with  the  annual  county  fair,  an  annual  chautauqua, 
an  old  settlers'  or  old  soldiers'  reunion,  or  the  high  school  com- 
mencement exercises.  All  of  these  different  organizations  may 
unite  in  a  cooperative  effort.  The  historical  societies,  commercial 
organizations,  women's  clubs,  and  other  civic  organizations  should 
assist  in  making  the  celebration  as  complete  and  impressive  as 
possible.  One  of  the  most  important  elements  in  a  successful 
county  celebration  will  be  the  cooperation  of  the  public  and  private 
schools  of  the  county.  The  hearty  assistance  of  the  county  sup- 
erintendent of  schools,  the  superintendents  of  the  different  city 
and  village  schools,  and  the  teachers  of  the  county,  together  with 
their  pupils,  will  insure  a  very  effective  celebration. 

"Cities,  villages  and  communities,  with  the  assistance  of  their 
local  societies,  organizations  and  schools,  should  have  their  own 
Centennial  programs.  These  should  not  detract  from  the  county 
celebration,  but,  on  the  contrary,  should  add  to  the  general  de- 
velopment of  the  Centennial  spirit.  The  Commission  desires  that 
the  Centennial  observance  shall  in  some  way  reach  every  person 
of  the  State,  and  that  no  one  shall  fail  to  receive  something  of  its 
inspiring  influence. 

"The  predominant  thought  running  through  all  celebrations 
should  be  the  wonderful  story  of  our  State.  Every  celebration 
should  be  based  upon  our  State's  history,  so  rich  in  heroic  service, 
patriotic  endeavor  and  marvelous  achievement.  Those  who  would 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  our  Centennial  celebrations  must  know  and 
appreciate  the  history  of  Illinois — the  story  of  the  early  Indian 
tribes ;  the  French  missionaries  and  early  pioneers ;  the  significance 
of  the  Ordinance  of  1787 ;  the  early  territorial  history ;  the  admis- 
sion of  Illinois  into  the  Union ;  the  struggle  to  preserve  Illinois  as 
a  free  State;  the  period  of  expansion  and  of  reckless  expenditure; 
the  marvelous  growth  and  development  of  Chicago;  the  Black 
Hawk  War ;  the  Mexican  "War ;  the  part  Illinois  played  in  the  pre- 
servation of  the  Union;  the  more  recent  development  of  the  vast 
resources  of  the  State;  and  the  contribution  which  Illinois  is 
making  today  in  the  mighty  struggle  for  humanity  and  democracy. 

—24  C  C 


370  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

"We  can  not  fittingly  celebrate  the  hundredth  anniversary  of 
our  statehood  without  an  appreciation  of  the  material  development 
and  progress  of  the  past  hundred  years;  but,  above  all,  we  must 
appreciate  the  great  men  whom  the  State  has  produced  and  the 
contributions  which  they  have  made  not  only  to  our  State,  but  to 
the  nation  and  to  the  world.  We  must  in  some  way  come  to 
realize  the  historic  truth  of  the  words  of  our  State  song — 

"Not  without  thy  Avondrous  story, 

Illinois, 

Can  be  writ  the  Nation's  glory, 
Illinois. 

"From  an  intelligent  and  grateful  appreciation  of  the  service 
of  those  who  have  builded  our  commonwealth  and  made  glorious 
her  history  we  will  come  to  have  a  wholesome  State  pride  and  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  Illinois.  In  this  spirit  let  us  celebrate  our 
Centennial. 

"A  particular  study  should  be  made  of  the  local  history  of 
each  county  in  order  that  the  most  important  historic  events  shall 
receive  recognition  at  this  time.  Every  county  in  Illinois  is  rich 
in  local  history  which  is  of  special  interest  to  its  own  people,  and 
this  should  be  featured  in  the  respective  county  celebrations.  This 
will  add  greatly  to  the  interest  in  the  celebration  and  will  give 
variety  to  the  different  observances  held  throughout  the  State. 

"The  decorations  for  each  celebration  should  be  carefully 
planned,  and  a  well  thought  out  scheme  should  be  carried  out. 
The  decorations  committees  will  have  a  very  important  work  to 
perform,  and  the  most  artistic  persons  in  the  community  should 
be  selected  to  have  charge  of  this  important  phase  of  the  celebra- 
tion. There  will  be,  of  course,  a  profusion  of  American  flags  and 
Centennial  banners,  and  it  will  be  particularly  appropriate  this 
year  to  use  the  flags  of  our  Allies.  Indian  decorations  may  be 
used.  Electric  lights  with  round  colored  shades  to  imitate  beads, 
arrows,  bows,  spears,  tomahawks,  peace  pipes,  eagle  and  hawk 
feathers,  made  of  heavy  paper  colored  bright  red,  blue  and  yellow, 
have  been  suggested  for  street  decorations.  The  ingenuity  of  the 


DOCUMENTS  371 

different  committees  will  work  out  various  schemes  that  will  be 
particularly  unique  and  effective. 

"The  music,  like  the  decorations,  should  be  put  in  the  hands 
of  the  most  competent  persons  who  can.  be  secured  to  serve  on  the 
Music  Committee.  Patriotic  songs  will  be  particularly  appropri- 
ate. In  addition  to  our  great  national  hymns,  those  songs  written 
by  Illinoisans,  "The  Battle  Cry  of  Freedom/'  "Just  Before  the 
Battle,  Mother,"  and  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  Are 
Marching,"  by  George  F.  Eoot,  and  "Marching  Through  Georgia/* 
by  H.  C.  Work,  should  be  particularly  featured.  Of  course,  we 
will  want  to  sing  "Illinois"  over  and  over  again,  and  no  doubt 
there  will  be  many  new  songs  of  merit  inspired  by  the  observance 
of  our  Centennial,  which  will  deserve  to  have  a  place  on  the  Cen- 
tennial programs.  It  is  hoped  to  have  an  Illinois  Centennial 
march  and  a  new  Illinois  Centennial  song,  and  the  Commission 
expects  to  furnish  march  music  for  the  processional  pageants, 
children's  dances,  and  the  like. 

"Nearly  every  Centennial  program  should  have  a  Centennial 
pageant  as  one  of  its  important  features.  Mr.  Wallace  Eice,  the 
official  pageant  writer  for  the  Centennial  Commission,  has  pre- 
pared six  plays  suitable  for  school  children  in  the  grades,  which 
will  be  furnished  free  by  the  Commission.  These  should  be  used 
generally  by  the  schools  of  the  State.  A  Masque  of  Illinois, 
adapted  to  high  schools,  colleges  and  clubs,  with  music,  singing 
and  dancing,  to  be  simple  or  elaborate  in  its  presentation  accord- 
ing to  local  needs  and  desires,  will  also  be  furnished  free  by  the 
Commission.  The  Centennial  Commission  has  in  preparation  a 
State  pageant  with  prologue  and  five  twenty-minute  dramatic 
scenes,  with  processions  available  for  separate  use.  A  sixth  scene 
and  procession,  written  locally  to  represent  some  historic  event 
of  local  interest,  may  be  added. 

"Processionals  and  parades  may  be  used  to  particular  advan- 
tage. One  can  hardly  think  of  a  more  impressive  sight  than 
hundreds  or  perhaps  thousands  of  school  children  carrying  Ameri- 
can flags  and  Centennial  banners.  A  particular  feature  of  every 
county  celebration  should  be  the  assembling  of  all  the  school  chil- 
dren of  the  county  in  a  well  planned  processional  or  parade. 


372  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Where  local  conditions  do  not  readily  lend  themselves  to  dramatic 
representation  it  will  be  generally  found  that  processions  can  be 
used  with  very  effective  results. 

"In  street  parades  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  should  be  given  a  place  of  honor.  We  can  not  too  highly 
honor  the  few  remaining  heroes  of  our  State  who  answered  Lin- 
coln's call  and  offered  their  lives  that  our  Union  might  be  preserved 
and  that  government  of  the  people  might  not  perish  from  the  earth. 

"The  public  addresses,  readings  and  recitations  will,  of  course, 
deal  with  the  history  of  Illinois,  and  should  be  decidedly  patriotic 
in  character.  No  celebration  should  be  considered  worthy  that 
does  not  have  a  patriotic  atmosphere  and  strongly  impress  the  value 
of  our  free  institutions.  The  Commission  intends  issuing  a  small 
book  of  historical  addresses  and  excerpts  from  the  speeches  of  great 
Illinoisans,  with  ballads  commemorating  our  great  historical 
events,  suitable  for  public  recitations  and  readings  in  or  out  of 
doors. 

"Wherever  possible  there  should  be  exhibits  of  the  primitive 
productions  of  various  kinds.  An  excellent  outline  for  the  schools 
has  been  sent  out  by  the  educational  department  of  the  State  Fair 
Board,  which  has  the  endorsement  of  the  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction.  If  an  earnest  effort  is  made,  it  will  be  pos- 
sible in  each  community  to  get  together  a  very  interesting  exhibit 
of  old  implements  and  relics  of  the  pioneer  days.  The  occasion 
affords  an  excellent  opportunity  for  unique  and  attractive  window 
decorations. 

"It  is  suggested  that  one  feature  of  each  Centennial  exhibit 
shall  be  a  series  of  ten  charts,  each  representing  one  decade,  show- 
ing the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  inventions  and  discoveries 
during  the  past  hundred  years.  The  last  chart  should  show  at 
least  twenty-five  of  the  principal  inventions  which  are  the  tools 
and  conveniences  of  our  present  day  civilization.  Each  preceding 
chart  should  show  such  of  these  as  were  used  during  that  particu- 
lar decade,  and  so  on  back  to  the  first,  which  shows  only  such  as 
were  used  during  the  first  ten  years  of  our  State's  history.  In 
this  way  there  may  be  graphically  portrayed  the  particular  period 


DOCUMENTS  373 

of  our  State's  history  when  the  principal  inventions  and  discover- 
ies came  into  use. 

"The  Centennial  year  affords  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the 
marking  of  places  where  historic  events  took  place.  Governor 
Lowden  has  called  particular  attention  to  this  in  the  following 
language : 

'Many  points  in  Illinois,  scenes  of  momentous  happen- 
ings, which  should  have  been  marked  half  a  century  ago  and 
have  become  fixed  landmarks,  are  now  only  vague  traditions; 
and  so,  while  it  is  yet  time,  let  our  hundredth  year  be  marked 
by  fixing  permanently  the  events  of  our  first  hundred  years 
so  far  as  they  may  be  fixed  at  this  time/ 

"Where  it  is  at  all  possible,  some  permanent  memorials  should 
be  erected  which  shall  stand  through  the  years  commemorative  of 
the  observance  of  our  State  Centennial.  However  excellent  the 
Centennial  programs  may  be,  they  will  in  time  become  forgotten, 
and  it  is  therefore  of  vital  importance  that  all  over  the  State  per- 
manent memorials  shall  be  erected  which  shall  remain  when  the 
memory  of  our  Centennial  programs  shall  have  passed. 

"We  would  suggest  that  the  County  Centennial  Committee  in 
each  county  have  a  county  service  flag  made,  to  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  county  celebration.  If  any  soldier  from  the 
county  has  died  in  the,  service,  his  should  be  a  gold  star.  The 
dedication  and  display  of  this  flag  should  stimulate  the  finest  patri- 
otic sentiment.  We  would  also  suggest  that  a  roll  of  honor  be  pre- 
pared containing  the  names  of  every  soldier  from  the  county,  with 
the  rank  and  branch  of  service  of  each,  and  if  possible  the  photo- 
graph of  each  one.  If  this  roll  is  properly  framed  and  draped 
it  will  give  some  appropriate  recognition  to  those  whose  service 
we  cannot  sufficiently  appreciate.  A  copy  of  this  roll  should  be 
preserved  securely  in  the  archives  of  the  county  as  a  permanent 
record  and  memorial  and  another  copy  should  be  sent  to  the  capi- 
tal to  be  placed  in  the  Centennial  Memorial  Building. 

"As  a  part  of  the  processional,  boys  might  be  selected  to  repre- 
sent the  soldiers  of  the  county  who  are  in  the  service  of  their  coun- 
try. They  might  be  dressed  in  khaki  or  boy  scout  uniforms,  and 
each  one  provided  with  a  sash  or  badge  bearing  the  name  of  the 


374  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

particular  soldier  whom  he  represents.  If  this  is  done,  the  boys 
should  be  impressed  with  the  great  honor  conferred  upon  them 
in  permitting  them  to  represent  the  absent  soldiers.  It  would  be 
well  to  let  the  parents  or  relatives  of  each  soldier  select  the  boy 
who  should  represent  him.  In  like  manner,  girls  might  be  selected 
to  represent  the  nurses  and  other  women  engaged  in  the  service. 

"Finally,  all  programs  should  be  carefully  and  thoughtfully 
planned,  and  worked  out  with  energy  and  enthusiasm.  The  oc- 
casion is  worthy  of  best  efforts." 

The  plans  thus  outlined  by  the  Centennial  Commission  for 
the  State-wide  celebration,  were  very  generally  accepted  through- 
out the  State,  and  efforts  were  made  in  nearly  every  county  to 
carry  them  out,  at  least  in  part.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  up 
to  almost  the  close  of  the  Centennial  year  we  were  engaged  in  the 
greatest  war  the  world  has  ever  known.  The  minds  and  hearts 
of  our  people  were  continually  gripped  by  matters  of  vital  personal 
interest  relating  to  the  winning  of  that  war.  Liberty  Loan  drives, 
Red  Cross  drives,  and  all  the  various  other  war  activities  occupied 
the  time  and  thought  of  the  people  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  any- 
thing else. 

Looking  back  over  those  days,  it  seems  marvelous  that  the  peo- 
ple of  Illinois  should  have  appreciated  as  they  did  the  significance 
of  our  Centennial  year,  and  should  have  given  so  much  time  and 
thought  to  its  observance.  This  would  certainly  not  have  been 
done  had  they  not  been  brought  to  feel,  as  the  Centennial  Commis- 
sion and  Governor  Lowden  felt  from  the  beginning,  that  the  fitting 
observance  of  Illinois'  hundredth  birthday  was  a  valuable  stimulus 
to  the  highest  expression  of  patriotism. 

Fitting  acknowledgment  should  be  made  of  the  excellent  work 
of  Mr.  Halbert  0.  Crews,  publicity  manager,  in  bringing  to  the 
attention  of  the  people  of  Illinois  the  significance  of  the  Centennial 
year.  Nine  different  Bulletins  were  published  during  the  year,  of 
which  a  total  of  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  copies  were  dis- 
tributed, and  in  addition,  a  new  story  was  sent  out  to  all  the  papers 
of  the  State  every  week.  The  press  of  Illinois  responded  most 
generously,  and  the  success  of  the  Centennial  was  due  in  a  large 
measure  to  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  papers  of  the  State.  It  is 


DOCUMENTS  375 

estimated  that  more  than  fifty  thousand  different  articles  or  items 
appeared  in  the  press  of  Illinois  on  the  subject  of  the  Illinois 
Centennial. 

Celebrations  were  held  on  convenient  dates  during  every  month 
of  the  Centennial  year,  but  the  special  Centennial  dates  were  cen- 
ters around  which  many  of  the  principal  observances  were  held. 
These  dates  were  February  12,  Lincoln's  birthday;  April  18,  the 
anniversary  of  the  passage  of  the  Enabling  Act;  May  30,  Me- 
morial Day;  July  4,  which  was  also  the  one  hundred  and  fortieth 
anniversary  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Kaskaskia  by  George  Rogers 
Clark;  August  26,  the  anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the  first 
constitution;  October  5  and  6,  the  anniversary  of  the  first  State 
Legislature  and  the  inauguration  of  the  first  governor,  and  Decem- 
ber 3,  the  anniversary  of  the  formal  admission  of  Illinois  into  the 
Union. 

A  great  many  schools,  churches  and  other  organizations  of 
the  State  had  planned  to  hold  celebrations  during  October  and 
November,  but  were  prevented  from  carrying  out  their  plans  by 
the  epidemic  of  influenza  which  made  necessary  the  closing  of  the 
schools  throughout  the  State,  and  the  prohibiting  of  public  meet- 
ings of  every  kind.  This  epidemic  particularly  interfered  with  the 
excellent  work  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense,  which  encouraged 
and  promoted  the  giving  of  historical  pageants. 

The  coinage  of  one  hundred  thousand  Illinois  Centennial  half 
dollars  furnished  the  State  a  permanent  and  valuable  souvenir  of 
the  Centennial  year.  These  coins  bear  the  head  of  Lincoln  on 
one  side  and  the  great  seal  of  Illinois  on  the  other,  with  appro- 
priate inscriptions.  The  issuance  of  these  coins  was  authorized 
by  an  act  of  Congress,  the  bill  having  been  introduced  by  Congress- 
man L.  E.  Wheeler,  of  Springfield.  The  coins  were  delivered  to 
the  Centennial  Commission  about  the  middle  of  August,  and  were 
handled  through  the  State  Treasury.  They  were  apportioned  to 
the  counties  of  the  State  on  the  basis  of  population,  one  to  each 
sixty  persons,  as  shown  by  the  census  of  1910.  The  Centennial 
Commission  furnished  these  coins  to  the  County  Centennial  Com- 
mittees at  their  face  value,  fifty  cents  each,  on  the  condition  that 
they  should  be  sold  at  not  less  than  one  dollar  each  and  the  profits 


376  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

used  by  the  respective  counties  either  to  promote  a  county  Centen- 
nial celebration,  or  be  applied  to  some  approved  form  of  war  re- 
lief or  public  service.  Although  nearly  all  of  these  coins  have 
been  distributed,  a  few  remain  in  the  State  Treasury  at  the  close  of 
the  Centennial  year. 

It  would  be  a  real  pleasure  to  write  into  the  official  report  of 
the  Illinois  Centennial  Celebration,  a  detailed  account  of  all  the 
observances  held  throughout  the  State,  but,  of  course,  this  is  impos- 
sible. For  example,  a  report  made  to  the  Commission  of  the  cele- 
brations held  in  one  county  covers  about  forty  typewritten  pages, 
and  this  county's  report  would  not  be  complete  were  it  abbreviated 
in  any  particular.  The  reports  of  the  county  and  local  celebra- 
tions that  have  been  furnished  the  Commission  will  be  carefully 
preserved  by  the  State  Historical  Library. 

In  addition  to  the  above  reports  fifteen  large  volumes  of  news- 
paper clippings  have  been  carefully  indexed  and  will  be  preserved 
in  the  State  Historical  Library.  These  furnish  the  complete  story 
of  all  the  Centennial  celebrations  held  in  Illinois,  as  given  by  the 
press  of  the  State.  In  the  future  anyone  wishing  to  know  the  de- 
tails of  the  celebration  held  at  any  particular  place  will  be  able  to 
find  them  given  in  these  volumes  of  carefully  selected  newspaper 
clippings. 

It  may  be  unwise  to  call  attention  to  any  particular  celebra- 
tions as  being  worthy  of  special  note  when  all  cannot  be  included, 
and  so  many  were  commendable.  However,  the  following  may  be 
mentioned  as  typical  of  the  best  celebrations  held: 

The  Centennial  Pageant  given  at  Starved  Rock  on  July  4,  5 
and  6,  was  one  of  the  most  elaborate  and  impressive  celebrations 
held  anywhere  in  the  State.  The  committee  having  charge  of  this 
celebration  was  headed  by  Judge  H.  W.  Johnson,  of  Ottawa,  and 
the  pageant  was  given  under  the  direct  management  of  Mrs. 
Florence  Magill  Wallace.  Every  part  of  the  county  was  represented 
in  the  cast,  and  one  of  the  most  delightful  features  was  the  spirit 
of  community  cooperation.  After  paying  all  the  expenses,  the  net 
proceeds  were  turned  over  to  the  Eed  Cross,  amounting  to  more 
than  a  thousand  dollars. 


DOCUMENTS  377 

Another  pageant,  particularly  impressive  because  of  the  his- 
toric memories  that  surround  the  place  where  it  was  held,  was 
that  given  on  September  6  and  7,  by  the  Old  Salem  Lincoln 
League,  of  Menard  County,  on  the  spot  where  Abraham  Lincoln 
spent  many  years  of  his  early  life.  This  pageant  portrayed  the 
historic  incidents  of  Old  Salem  and  of  Lincoln's  young  manhood. 
It,  too,  was  given  under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Florence  Magill 
Wallace,  supported  by  a  very  able  committee,  of  which  Judge  G.  E. 
Nelson  was  chairman. 

St.  Glair  County  deserves  particular  credit  for  the  magnificent 
county  celebration  given  at  Perrin's  Park  at  Belleville  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  11,  12  and  13.  A  very  impressive  and  beautiful  pageant 
was  written  by  Miss  Pearl  M.  Tiley  and  given  as  a  particular  fea- 
ture of  this  celebration.  Judge  Joseph  B.  Messick  was  president 
of  the  St.  Glair  County  Centennial  Committee,  and  Judge  Frank 
Perrin,  vice  president  and  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors. 

Probably  no  county  in  the  State  had  a  more  perfect  Centen- 
nial organization  than  Adams  County.  Judge  S.  B.  Montgomery, 
Judge  Lyman  McCarl,  Joseph  L.  Thomas  and  Superintendent  J. 
H.  Steiner,  were  the  leading  officials  in  the  organization,  which 
secured  the  holding  of  successful  Centennial  celebrations  in  prac- 
tically every  township  in  the  county.  Under  the  auspices  of  the 
Women's  Committee  of  the  State  Council  of  Defense,  "The  Masque 
of  Illinois"  was  given  before  large  audiences  at  Liberty,  Mendon, 
Golden,  Payson  and  Quincy. 

Another  very  important  celebration  was  that  held  at  Albion 
in  Edwards  County,  on  September  18.  This  observance  is  deserv- 
ing of  particular  note  because  it  commemorated  events  of  great 
historic  significance  in  the  early  settlement  of  Illinois.  The  cele- 
bration was  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Edwards  County  Cen- 
tennial Committee.  Mr.  Walter  Colyer  was  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee. 

The  Morgan  County  celebration,  held  at  Jacksonville,  on  July 
4,  was  unique  in  that  it  consisted  of  a  carefully  worked  out  pro- 
cessional pageant.  The  observance  was  a  decided  success,  and  the 
historic  lessons  which  it  portrayed  were  set  forth  in  an  artistic 
manner. 


378  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

One  of  the  features  of  the  Kane  County  celebration  at  St. 
Charles,  held  on  July  4,  was  a  processional  pageant,  the  floats 
being  furnished  from  all  parts  of  the  county.  A  pageant  under 
the  management  of  Mrs.  George  S.  Montgomery,  portrayed  historic 
scenes  of  intense  interest.  A  number  of  excellent  local  celebra- 
tions were  held  in  different  parts  of  Kane  County  during  the  Cen- 
tennial year. 

The  Winnebago  County  celebration  was  held  at  Eockford  on 
July  4,  at  Camp  Grant.  In  the  forenoon  General  Martin  and  staff 
reviewed  the  entire  86th  Division,  the  line  of  march  being  through 
the  principal  streets  of  the  city.  Officials,  members  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
and  representatives  of  other  patriotic  organizations,  occupied  seats 
on  the  reviewing  stand.  At  6  p.  m.,  a  beautiful  pageant  was 
given  at  Camp  Grant,  witnessed  by  more  than  fifteen  thousand 
people. 

The  Madison  County  Centennial  celebration  was  held  at  Alton, 
on  September  27.  Governor  Lowden  was  present  and  gave  several 
addresses  during  the  day  at  different  places  in  the  city  where  ob- 
servances were  held.  Features  of  the  celebration  were  a  proces- 
sion of  the  school  children  of  the  county,  the  unveiling  of  several 
historic  markers,  and  an  historical  pageant  given  in  the  evening. 

The  Alexander  County  celebration  on  June  3,  was  given  very 
largely  by  the  schools  of  Cairo,  under  the  management  of  Judge 
Dewey  and  County  Superintendent  Laura  I.  Milford,  assisted  by 
Miss  Laura  A.  Miller,  who  had  immediate  charge  of  the  children. 

The  Centennial  celebrations  held  in  Lake,  McLean,  Will, 
Woodford,  Jersey,  Grundy,  Henderson,  Piatt,  DeKalb,  Logan, 
Knox,  Iroquois,  Union,  Macoupin,  Jefferson,  Kendall,  Peoria, 
Vermilion,  and  Franklin  counties  are  deserving  of  mention.  In 
the  other  counties  of  the  State  the  celebrations  were  given  largely 
under  the  auspices  of  some  city,  village,  school  or  local  organiza- 
tion, but  many  of  these  excelled  both  in  program  and  attendance 
some  of  the  county  celebrations  mentioned.  A  complete  list  of 
these  celebrations,  so  far  as  they  have  been  reported  to  the  Commis- 
sion, has  been  furnished  the  State  Historical  Library,  the  number 
being  too  large  to  be  included  in  this  report. 


DOCUMENTS  379 

A  complete  report  of  all  the  celebrations  held  in  Cook  County 
during  the  Centennial  year  would  fill  a  volume.  The  schools  both 
in  Chicago  and  in  the  suburbs  deserve  great  credit  for  what  they 
accomplished.  A  very  lively  interest  was  taken  in  the  study  of 
Illinois  history,  and  many  gave  pageants  worthy  of  particular  note. 
The  management  of  the  parks  and  playgrounds  of  Chicago  also 
gave  outdoor  pageants  and  plays  of  historic  interest  and  value. 
Northwestern  University,  the  Chicago  Normal  College,  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  high  schools  gave  pageants  of  their  own  production, 
which  merit  the  highest  commendation.  Parochial  and  private 
schools  were  hardly  second  to  the  public  schools  in  the  interest 
taken. 

On  April  19,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  a  celebration  was  held  at  Orchestra  Hall.  In  the  corri- 
dors were  displayed  some  of  the  very  valuable  historical  relics  of 
the  society.  Mr.  Clarence  A.  Burley,  president  of  the  society,  pre- 
sided at  the  meeting  and  gave  a  very  interesting  address  on  the 
early  history  of  Chicago.  Bishop  Charles  P.  Anderson  gave  the 
principal  address  of  the  evening.  Governor  Lowden  was  on  the 
platform  but  did  not  speak. 

On  May  11  was  unveiled  in  Jackson  Park,  the  Statue  of 
the  Republic,  by  Daniel  C.  French,  the  ceremonies  being  witnessed 
by  ten  thousand  people.  The  Hon.  Edward  F.  Dunne,  former 
Governor  of  Illinois,  gave  the  principal  address  on  this  occasion. 
On  this  same  afternoon,  the  Illinois  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 
gave  a  pageant  at  the  Auditorium,  repeating  it  in  the  evening. 
On  both  occasions  every  seat  was  occupied  and  the  production  was 
received  enthusiastically  by  a  very  large  audience. 

Chicago  held  its  most  important  Centennial  celebration  be- 
ginning October  8  and  ending  October  13,  under  the  management 
of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  State  Council  of  Defense. 
Patriotic  mass  meetings  were  held  in  the  Auditorium  on  the  even- 
ings of  October  8  and  12,  and  a  beautiful  historical  pageant  was 
given  on  the  evenings  of  October  9,  10  and  11,  and  on  the  after- 
noon of  October  12.  On  Sunday,  October  13,  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Monument,  erected  in  Logan  Square,  was  formally  dedi- 
cated, Governor  Lowden  delivering  the  principal  address. 


380  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  Centennial  Commission  urged  that  a  particular  feature 
of  the  Centennial  year  should  be  the  marking  of  historic  places 
throughout  the  State.  In  response  to  this  request  a  number  of 
historic  spots  were  marked. 

In  Piatt  County  was  marked  the  place  where  Lincoln  and 
Douglas  met  and  arranged  for  the  famous  Lincoln-Douglas  debates. 
At  Albion  was  marked  the  location  of  the  Old  Park  House,  the 
home  of  Eichard  Flower,  which  was  the  finest  residence  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley  during  the  early  history  of  Illinois.  At  Alton 
was  mounted  the  remains  of  the  Love  joy  Printing  Press,  which 
was  thrown  into  the  river  at  the  time  Mr.  Love  joy  was  assassinated, 
and  which  was  excavated  a  few  years  ago.  In  Bloomington  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Eevolution  marked  the  place  where 
Lincoln  delivered  his  famous  Lost  Speech.  Decatur  marked  the 
place  where  Lincoln  stopped  when  he  first  came  with  his  family 
into  Macon  County.  In  Eock  Island  County  was  marked  the  first 
water  power  site  on  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  in  Sangamon 
County,  the  site  of  the  first  school  house.  In  Williamson  County 
was  marked  the  spot  where  John  A.  Logan  delivered  his  famous 
speech  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  In  Lee  County  was  marked 
the  site  of  a  famous  old  block  house,  and  several  historic  markers 
were  erected  in  Ottawa.  Jersey  County  marked  what  is  claimed 
to  be  the  site  of  the  first  free  school  in  Illinois,  and  Franklin 
County,  the  site  of  the  first  church  in  the  county.  At  Libertyville 
was  marked  the  site  of  the  first  postoffice  in  Lake  County.  .  In  a 
number  of  localities  in  the  State  were  marked  places  where  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  delivered  an  address.  Morgan  County  marked  the 
location  of  the  home  of  Governor  Duncan  and  the  site  of  the  first 
medical  college  in  Illinois.  The  Jewish  Historical  Society  placed 
a  marker  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Chicago  postoffice,  mark- 
ing the  location  of  the  first  Jewish  tabernacle  in  the  State. 

Credit  should  be  given  to  the  churches  of  Illinois  for  the  part 
taken  by  them  in  the  proper  observance  of  the  Centennial  year. 
There  is  probably  not  a  church  in  the  State  in  which  some  men- 
tion of  the  important  events  of  Illinois  history  was  not  made  at 
some  service  held  during  the  Centennial  year. 


DOCUMENTS  381 

The  services  of  Mr.  Horace  H.  Bancroft,  Assistant  Director, 
were  most  valuable  and  much  of  the  success  of  the  statewide  cele- 
bration is  due  to  his  efficient  work  as  an  organizer  and  speaker. 
Thoroughly  familiar  with  all  phases  of  Illinois  history,  he  always 
delighted  and  instructed  his  audience  by  the  eloquent  and  effective 
manner  in  which  he  presented  his  subject.  During  the  year  he 
prepared  a  booklet  entitled  "Illinois,  An  Historical  Resume/'  which 
was  published  by  the  Commission  and  furnished  free  to  schools, 
churches  and  societies  throughout  the  State.  This  little  booklet 
gives  a  concise  and  authentic  account  of  the  principal  events  in 
Illinois  history. 

All  who  were  engaged  in  the  Director's  office  gave  more  than 
mere  formal  service.  Their  hearts  were  in  the  work,  and  each  one 
took  a  personal  interest  and  pride  in  the  success  of  the  Centennial. 
For  hundreds  of  little  personal  attentions  which  made  the  vast 
amount  of  work  undertaken  move  smoothly  and  rapidly,  they  de- 
serve great  credit. 

To  the  thousands  of  good  people  throughout  the  State  who 
gave  such  hearty  and  cordial  cooperation  and  assistance  in  promot- 
ing a  successful  Centennial  observance,  we  express  our  deep  ap- 
preciation. Had  they  not  responded  so  wholeheartedly  all  our 
efforts  would  have  been  in  vain. 


EEPOET  OF  HALBERT  0.  CREWS,  MANAGER  OF 

PUBLICITY,  TO  THE  PUBLICITY 

COMMITTEE 

— OF 

THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

REV.  FREDERIC  SIEDENBURG,  S.  J.,  CHAIRMAN 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  Centennial  Celebration  was  due 
to  the  press  of  the  State.  The  fine  spirit  of  cooperation  with  the 
Commission  and  loyalty  to  the  State  displayed  by  the  newspapers 
of  Illinois  during  Centennial  year  deserves  the  highest  commen- 
dation. Harassed  by  the  business  problems  growing  out  of  war 
conditions,  overwhelmed  with  patriotic  appeals  for  publicity  for 
various  war  work  activities  and  hampered  by  the  necessity  for 


382  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

conservation  of  paper,  the  publishers  nevertheless  gave  a  great  deal 
of  time  and  space  to  Centennial  publicity  and  thereby  compelled 
attention. 

The  great  problem  in  promoting  the  Centennial  Celebration 
in  the  midst  of  the  world  war  was  to  bring  it  into  harmony  with 
patriotic  activities.  The  sentiment  of  the  public  would,  of  course, 
have  been  against  any  celebration  which  distracted  attention  from 
concentration  on  war  work.  Since  the  majority  of  people  believed 
the  celebration  was  likely  to  be  merely  a  jollification,  there  was 
some  opposition  to  it  at  first.  This  opposition  was  reflected  in  the 
press.  During  the  summer  of  1917,  a  number  of  newspapers,  com- 
menting editorially  upon  the  forthcoming  celebration,  recom- 
mended its  abandonment  on  the  ground  that  it  would  interfere 
with  war  activities. 

The  eloquent  statement  of  the  patriotic  purpose  of  the  cele- 
bration made  by  Governor  Lowden  in  his  proclamation  calling  for 
the  celebration  of  December  3,  1917,  and  the  further  explanations 
made  by  the  Director  of  the  Centennial,  Hon.  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr., 
and  by  members  of  the  Commission  presented  the  matter  in  a 
different  light,  and  every  editor  in  the  State,  I  believe,  adopted 
the  celebration  as  an  opportunity  for  arousing  the  people  to  greater 
war  activity.  From  that  time  on  they  gave  it  every  encouragement 
possible. 

The  three  great  Press  Associations  and  the  Western  Newspaper 
Union  also  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  Centennial  Commission.  Mr. 
Luther  E.  Frame,  manager  of  the  Associated  Press  Bureau,  Mr. 
Harold  J.  Biefler,  manager  of  the  United  Press  Bureau  and  Mr. 
H.  G.  Brolin,  manager  of  the  International  News  Bureau  in 
Springfield  aided  materially  in  spreading  news  of  the  Centennial 
not  only  throughout  Illinois  but  throughout  the  United  States. 
The  Western  Newspaper  Union  gave  very  liberal  space  to  Cen- 
tennial news  and  Centennial  pictures  in  its  plate  service.  The 
Newspaper  Enterprise  Association,  the  New  York  Herald  Service, 
the  International  Pictures  Film  Service,  and  other  newspaper 
syndicates  which  supply  pictures  and  features  for  newspapers,  dis- 
tributed many  Centennial  features  among  the  newspapers  of  the 
United  States. 


DOCUMENTS  383 

In  fact,  this  department  has  had  much  more  cooperation  and 
assistance  in  promoting  Centennial  publicity  than  it  could  reason- 
ably have  expected  in  view  of  the  stress  of  war  conditions. 

I  wish,  therefore,  at  the  very  beginning  of  my  report  to  express 
the  gratitude  of  the  Publicity  Department  and  of  the  Centennial 
Commission  for  this  able  assistance,  without  which  the  Centennial 
Celebration  could  not  have  been  a  success. 

The  first  Centennial  Commission,  created  by  the  Forty-eighth 
General  Assembly,  selected  Mr.  S.  Leigh  Call  of  Springfield  as  its 
publicity  manager.  Mr.  Call  served  the  Commission  very  ably  dur- 
ing the  formative  period  of  the  plans  for  the  celebration.  He  laid 
the  foundation  for  the  publicity  that  was  to  follow  and  by  giving 
the  public  a  comprehensive  idea  of  what  was  to  be  attempted  in 
Centennial  Year  made  the  work  of  the  present  manager  much 
easier. 

Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  Commission  following  the  next 
General  Assembly,  Mr.  Joseph  M.  Page  of  Jerseyville  was  selected 
as  publicity  manager  and  he  served  until  the  appointment  of  the 
present  Commission.  He  performed  his  duties  very  efficiently  and 
through  his  personal  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  leading  news- 
paper publishers  of  the  State  accomplished  a  great  deal  of  good. 

The  Commission  selected  the  present  publicity  manager  in 
August,  1917.  As  practically  no  publicity  work  on  the  celebration 
had  been  done  for  several  months,  it  was  necessary  to  form  a  com- 
plete program  for  publicity  and  to  prepare  an  educational  cam- 
paign. With  the  approval  of  the  Publicity  Committee  and  the 
Centennial  Commission,  the  following  program  was  prepared: 

A  news-letter  was  to  be  sent  to  all  the  daily  and  weekly  papers 
in  the  State  every  week.  This  letter  was  to  contain  short  news 
articles  on  the  Centennial  and  also  a  weekly  historical  feature. 

In  addition,  frequent  news  articles  were  to  be  prepared  and 
submitted  to  the  three  daily  press  associations  for  circulation 
throughout  the  State,  and  on  occasions  throughout  the  nation. 

An  effort  was  to  be  made  to  encourage  feature  articles  on  the 
Centennial  in  the  Chicago  newspapers. 

When  practical,  cuts  and  matrices  of  Centennial  pictures  were 
to  be  secured  and  sent  to  the  daily  press  of  the  State. 


384  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Pictures  of  persons  or  events  of  national  interest  were  to  be 
sent  to  the  services  supplying  newspapers  throughout  the  country 
and  to  the  plate  houses. 

Newspapers  were  to  be  encouraged  to  publish  special  Cen- 
tennial editions  during  the  year. 

A  monthly  bulletin  for  circulation  throughout  the  State  was 
to  be  published,  giving  important  facts  relative  to  the  Centennial 
Celebration. 

Such  other  matter  as  would  best  serve  publicity  purposes  was 
to  be  printed  an.d  circulated. 

Commercial  and  industrial  concerns  were  to  be  encouraged  to 
circulate  Centennial  souvenirs. 

Centennial  posters,  the  design  for  which  had  already  been 
approved  by  the  Commission,  were  to  be  hung  in  conspicuous  places 
throughout  the  State  at  times  best  suited  to  advance  Centennial 
publicity. 

This  plan  has  been  followed  throughout  and  has  proved  very 
satisfactory. 

The  weekly  news-letters  averaged  about  seven  hundred  to 
eight  hundred  words  each  and  the  historical  feature  articles  were 
from  four  hundred  words  to  seven  hundred  words  in  length.  Once 
each  month,  also,  an  historical  calendar  was  included.  Both  the 
news  features  and  articles  were  used  very  extensively,  many  papers 
showing  an  eagerness  to  receive  them.  The  historical  calendar 
was  made  a  daily  feature  by  most  papers.  The  first  historical 
articles  were  prepared  by  the  manager  of  publicity  from  the  volume 
"Illinois  in  1818,"  by  Solon  Justus  Buck.  These  were  short 
features  of  not  over  four  hundred  words,  telling  in  simple  and 
direct  language  some  striking  feature  of  the  life  in  Illinois  one 
hundred  years  ago.  This  series  ran  for  several  months  and  was 
followed  by  a  series  of  short  historical  sketches  on  the  beginnings 
of  Chicago,  written  by  William  Lightfoot  Visscher  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Visscher  devoted  considerable  time  to  the  preparation  of  these 
articles  and  they  met  with  favor  generally  throughout  the  State. 
They  ran  for  ten  weeks  and  were  followed  by  a  series  of  sketches 
on  the  Governors  of  Illinois  by  William  E.  Sandham  of  Wyoming. 
This  series  continued  until  October  and  closed  this  phase  of  Cen- 


DOCUMENTS  385 

tennial  publicity.  Mr.  Sandham  made  a  gift  of  these  articles  to 
the  Centennial  Commission.  They  were  very  accurately  worked 
out  and  very  interesting. 

The  Chicago  newspapers  throughout  the  year  showed  com- 
mendable interest  in  the  Centennial.  A  number  of  pictures  sent 
to  them  by  the  manager  of  publicity  were  reproduced  in  their  daily 
and  Sunday  editions;  some  papers  used  the  historical  series  sent 
from  this  office;  special  photographers  were  sent  to  celebrations 
held  at  Springfield  to  secure  pictures  for  use  in  the  papers;  and 
Centennial  supplements  were  published.  The  Chicago  Tribune, 
during  this  fall,  published  a  series  of  rotogravure  supplements  on 
the  Centennial  which  were  very  attractive  and  interesting. 

Among  the  pictures  used  extensively  in  the  daily  press  in 
Illinois  and  throughout  the  United  States  during  Centennial  Year 
may  be  mentioned  especially  those  of  the  statues  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  which  were  erected  in  the  capitol 
grounds ;  the  picture  of  Miss  Florence  Lowden,  who  played  the  part 
of  "Illinois"  in  the  Centennial  Masque  given  at  Springfield  and  the 
photograph  of  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Saunders,  sister  of  Ann  Rutledge, 
sent  out  in  connection  with  the  Centennial  Celebration  at  New 
Salem. 

A  large  number  of  Centennial  editions  have  been  issued  by  the 
newspapers  of  the  State'  during  the  year.  The  News-Record  and 
the  Illinois  State  Register  of  Springfield  published  very  elaborate 
editions.  The  Peoria  Journal  and  several  other  large  papers  also 
have  pttblished  special  editions  devoting  many  columns  to  the 
history  of  the  State  and  to  local  history.  This  has  aided  materially 
in  arousing  public  interest  in  the  Centennial  Celebration. 

The  first  Centennial  bulletin  was  issued  in  October,  1917. 
Since  that  time  up  to  and  including  October,  1918,  bulletins  have 
been  issued  each  month  with  four  exceptions.  These  bulletins  have 
served  two  principal  purposes:  they  have  aroused  interest  in  the 
celebration  immediately  following  the  date  of  their  issue  and  have 
given  a  report  of  the  celebration  held  immediately  prior  to  their 
issue.  They  have  been  sent  to  between  ten  thousand  and  fifteen 
thousand  persons,  selected  because  of  their  connection  with  local 
Centennial  celebrations,  or  with  organizations  which  would  be  ex- 
—25  C  O 


386  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

pected  to  have  particular  interest  in  the  Centennial.  Newspapers 
frequently  have  copied  articles  from  the  bulletins.  The  bulletins 
were  illustrated  with  half  tones  of  persons  prominent  in  the  feature 
of  the  Centennial  observance  under  discussion.  They  will  be  valu- 
able for  reference  purposes  in  the  future  and  no  doubt  a  file  of  them 
will  be  available  in  practically  every  library  of  the  State. 

Among  other  matter  published  for  publicity  purposes  may  be 
mentioned  the  following: 

"Suggestions  for  County  and  Local  Celebrations." 

"The  Governors  of  Illinois/'  a  reprint  of  the  souvenir  used  at 
the  Governor's  Day  Banquet  given  by  the  Centennial  Commission 
in  Springfield  on  December  3,  1917. 

"The  Illinois  Centennial/'  a  small  folder  giving  an  outline  of 
the  plans  for  Centennial  Year,  issued  in  the  fall  of  1917. 

A  card  showing  a  picture  of  the  Centennial  banner  and  giving, 
on  the  reverse  side,  a  brief  statement  of  the  plans  for  the  Cen- 
tennial, also  published  in  the  fall  of  1917. 

An  address  by  Director  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  delivered  before 
the  Illinois  State  Bankers'  Association  at  Quincy,  September  19, 
1917. 

"The  Press/'  a  reprint  of  a  number  of  newspaper  editorials 
on  the  Centennial,  published  in  January,  1918. 

"Pageant  Building,"  by  Florence  Magill  Wallace,  published 
early  in  the  spring  of  1918  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  local  com- 
munities in  giving  pageants. 

"Illinois,  An  Historical  Besume,"  by  Horace  H.  Bancroft, 
assistant  director  of  the  Centennial,  published  in  the  fall  of  1918 
for  the  purpose  of  assisting  school  teachers  in  calling  attention 
to  the  significance  of  the  Centennial. 

Pageants,  little  plays,  a  prompt  book,  music,  etc.,  for  the  use 
of  communities  desiring  to  give  pageants. 

A  great  many  commercial  establishments  used  Centennial 
souvenirs  for  advertising  purposes  throughout  the  year.  The  de- 
sign most  favored,  apparently,  was  a  small  reproduction  of  the 
Centennial  banner  on  an  enameled  pin.  This  was  used  very  ex- 
tensively in  many  localities  throughout  the  State. 


DOCUMENTS  387 

Something  over  sixty  thousand  Centennial  posters  were  used 
during  Centennial  year.  Most  of  these  were  window  cards  but 
some  were  large  posters  printed  on  paper.  These  posters  were 
distributed  to  the  banks,  schools,  railway  stations,  and  public 
buildings  throughout  the  State.  They  were  provided  for  use  of 
local  Centennial  organizations  in  calling  attention  to  their  com- 
munity celebrations.  A  small  supply  of  Centennial  buttons  also 
was  distributed.  Three  hundred  thousand  Centennial  stickers  were 
printed  and  used  on  mail  sent  out  from  State  departments. 

The  Centennial  banner,  designed  by  Wallace  Eice,  pageant 
writer  of  the  Centennial  Commission,  proved  very  popular  and  was 
a  distinct  aid  in  publicity.  The  Centennial  Commission  presented 
to  each  county  organization  a  large  Centennial  banner;  the  retail 
stores  throughout  the  State  purchased  supplies  of  cheap  banners 
and  these  were  used  in  every  local  celebration.  Throughout  the 
year,  the  Centennial  banner  and  the  American  flag  have  been  dis- 
played side  by  side  at  every  important  public  gathering  in  Illinois. 

All  through  Centennial  Year,  by  special  arrangement  with 
the  postoffice  department  at  Washington,  a  special  Centennial  can- 
cellation stamp  was  used  on  all  mail  passing  through  the  Spring- 
field postoffice.  This  also  helped  to  keep  the  Centennial  before 
the  public. 

The  Illinois  State  Board  of  Agriculture  rendered  valuable 
assistance  in  publicity  in  connection  with  the  Centennial  State  Fair 
which  was  advertised  as  "The  Illinois  Centennial  State  Fair  and 
Industrial  Exposition/'  For  several  months  prior  to  the  Fair, 
which  was  held  from  August  9  to  August  26,  publicity  matter  was 
sent  out  calling  attention  to  its  special  Centennial  significance. 
Calendars,  posters,  folders  and  other  literature  were  sent  broadcast 
by  the  Fair  Board  and  newspaper  publicity  was  used  liberally.  All 
of  this  aided  in  spreading  the  Centennial  idea. 

Practically  every  county  fair  in  Illinois  adopted  the  same 
policy,  calling  the  1918  fair  "The  Centennial  Fair/'  This  de- 
partment assisted  all  of  these  local  fairs  in  their  publicity  by  pro- 
viding Centennial  posters  for  display  in  windows  of  business  houses. 

Another  source  of  publicity  was  the  State  conventions  held 
during  the  year.  Practically  every  State  association  called  atten- 


388  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

tion  at  its  1918  convention  to  the  Centennial  and  to  the  significance 
of  the  occasion.  Many  of  these  organizations  provided  special  Cen- 
tennial badges  to  be  worn  by  the  delegates  and  most  of  them  gave 
up  part  of  their  programs  to  Centennial  addresses. 

The  churches  of  the  State  also  aided  materially  in  Centennial 
publicity.  October  6  was  set  aside  by  the  Centennial  Commission 
as  Centennial  Sunday  and  a  great  many  churches  held  special 
services  on  that  occasion.  Some  denominations,  however,  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  Centennial  even  more  fully.  Centennial  songs 
were  sung  on  frequent  occasions  and  Centennial  histories  of  the 
work  of  many  denominations  in  the  State  were  prepared. 

Advocates  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  proposition,  the 
Sixty  Million  Dollar  Good  Roads  proposition  and  the  amendment 
to  the  Banking  Law,  doing  away  with  private  banks,  made  good 
use  of  the  argument  that  because  this  was  Centennial  year  the 
State  should  prepare  for  the  new  century  by  adopting  these  con- 
structive measures. 

All  of  these,  by  constantly  keeping  the  Centennial  thought 
before  the  people,  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  celebration. 

How  the  press,  both  of  the  State  and  of  the  nation,  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  Centennial  is  shown  by  the  following  brief 
excerpts  from  editorials  in  some  of  the  leading  newspapers : 

THE  ST.  Louis  GLOBE  DEMOCEAT. — Yesterday  was  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  signing  of  the  Enabling  Act  which 
admitted  the  State  of  Illinois  to  the  Union.  On  that,  and  the  day 
preceding,  there  were  services  commemorative  of  the  event  held 
in  the  Illinois  State  House  at  Springfield,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission  and  the  Illinois  State  Historical 
Society.  Early  in  the  present  year  Governor  Lowden  issued  an 
appeal  to  Illinoisans  to  assemble  in  local  meetings  in  the  counties 
for  the  purposes  of  inspiring  themselves  in  the  work  of  making  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Year  one  worthy  not  only  of  the  State's  illus- 
trious past,  but  of  long  remembrance  in  the  future.  It  may  have 
been  felt  at  that  time  that  the  absorption  of  the  public  interest 
in  the  world  war  in  which  this  country  is  engaged,  would  lead  to  a 
partial  forgetfulness  of  the  duty  of  remembering  how  this  nation, 
and  its  third  State,  have  grown  into  proportions  now  making  the 


DOCUMENTS  389 

United  States  the  hope  of  freedom  in  many  lands.  The  fathers 
who  builded  so  wisely  and  so  well  that  their  works  do  follow  them 
as  now,  are  worthy  of  remembrance  in  every  state  which,  in  its 
foundations,  is  the  work  of  their  hands. 

THE  BURLINGTON  (Iowa)  HAWKEYE. — *  *  *  The  only 
way  of  guessing  at  the  future  is  by  measuring  the  past.  If  Illinois 
makes  as  marvelous  progress  in  the  second  century  of  her  life  as 
a  State  as  was  made  in  the  first,  it  will  indeed  be  beyond  the  ability 
of  the  prophet  to  presage  and  depict  what  the  State  will  be  like  in 
2018.  And  yet,  there  is  no  good  reason  for  assuming  that  progress 
should  not  be  just  as  swift,  just  as  great  in  the  new  century  as  it 
has  been  in  the  old. 

Illinois  is  going  to  start  the  new  century  right,  by  setting  a 
monument  to  the  old,  that  will  be  the  source  of  pride  to  her  own 
people  and  a  cause  for  envy  in  some  of  the  other  states  of  the 
Middle  West.  She  is  planning  a  system  of  real  roads,  of  365-days- 
in-the-year  roads,  which  will  traverse  and  connect  all  of  the  102 
counties  of  the  State.  She  is  going  to  build  this  truly  marvelous 
system  of  roads  without  asking  the  more  or  less  patient  taxpayer 
for  a  dollar.  And  hence  it  is  to  be  assumed  that  at  the  November 
election  the  plan  will  have  the  unanimous  endorsement  of  the 
people  of  the  State. 

There  will  truly  be  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  Illinois,  and 
people  will  date  events  of  greater  or  less  importance  as  happening 
before  or  after  they  got  real  roads. 

Long  before  2018,  Illinois  will  be  pitying  the  pioneers  of  1918, 
who  had  to  get  along  as  well  as  they  could,  practically  without 
roads.  And  they  will  be  wondering  how  the  people  became  rich 
and  powerful  despite  that  handicap. 

THE  YOUNGSTOWN  (Ohio)  VINDICATOR. — The  State  of  Illi- 
nois is  a  hundred  years  old,  an  event  in  the  life  of  the  State  that 
has  been  observed  in  keeping  with  the  times  which  have  caused  a 
redirection  of  effort  and  money.  A  hundred  years  seems  a  long 
time,  but  then  think  of  what  has  been  done  in  Illinois  in  that 
period.  The  prairies  are  today  dotted  with  prosperous  cities  and 
towns  and  there  is  a  great  population  busy  with  the  affairs  of  life 
and  doing  its  share  in  this  great  war  which  has  brought  such  change 


390  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

in  the  lives  of  all  people.  The  development  of  Illinois  in  the 
century  is  but  the  repetition  of  the  work  of  other  states  of  this 
great  Union,  great  because  of  the  greatness  of  its  commonwealths 
and  the  industry  and  enterprise  of  their  people,  possessing  the 
wills  to  go  ahead  fearless  of  the  dangers  and  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  pioneer  work.  Illinois  and  every  state  testifies  to  the  endur- 
ance and  perseverance  of  the  early  settlers  and  the  purpose  of  those 
who  later  came  upon  the  scene  to  build  greater. 

THE  TROY  (New  York)  TIMES. — Illinois  will  celebrate  this 
year  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  admission  to  the  Union, 
and  preparations  are  under  way  to  make  the  observance  impressive. 
*  *  *  The  program  to  be  carried  out  will  illustrate  anew  the 
dramatic  and  romantic  occurrences  in  the  development  of  the 
country,  Illinois  having  had  a  fair  share.  Illinois  was  the  eighth 
state  admitted  to  the  Union  after  the  formation  of  the  Eepublic 
by  the  original  thirteen.  Like  many  other  feeble  commonwealths 
of  earlier  days,  the  State  has  grown  enormously  in  population, 
wealth  and  importance,  and  the  centenary  will  afford  an  oppor- 
tunity to  celebrate  accordingly. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  MONITOR  (Boston,  Mass.) — *  *  * 
Illinois,  in  its  first  century,  has  played  a  large  part  in  the  history 
of  the  country.  It  has  developed  men  on  lines  as  broad  as  its 
prairies.  It  need  only  point  to  Lincoln,  Douglas,  Shields,  Yates, 
Washburne,  Grant,  Logan,  and  Oglesby  for  proof  of  this.  It  did 
its  full  part  in  the  Mexican  War  and  in  the  Spanish  War.  It  is 
doing  its  full  part  in  the,  greatest  of  wars.  And  yet,  considerably 
less  than  one  hundred  years  ago,  it  was  regarded  as,  except  in 
some  limited  areas  and  isolated  spots,  merely  a  good  hunting 
ground. 

*  *  *  But  it  is  neither  by  population  nor  by  wealth  that 
Illinois  likes  to  be  judged,  in  these  times,  nor  is  it  by  these  that 
it  will  be  judged  by  students  who  shall  read  its  history  as  Governor 
Lowden  would  have  it  read.  Eelatively,  no  state  in  the  Union  has 
done  more  than  Illinois  for  public  education,  for  art,  for  culture, 
for  the  general  advancement,  comfort,  and  happiness  of  its  people 
in  the  last 'ninety-nine  years;  nor  is  any  state  in  the  union  more 


DOCUMENTS  391 

willing  than  Illinois  to  do  its  full  share  now  for  the  future  safe- 
guarding of  humanity  and  civilization. 

THE  BOSTON  (Mass.)  HERALD. — *  *  *  Illinois  has  much 
to  celebrate.  Its  story  is  an  inspiring  one,  and  it  holds  a  proud 
position  in  the  sisterhood  of  states.  In  its  plan  of  celebration  it 
sets  a  fine  example  for  the  group  of  states  whose  centenaries  fall 
within  the  next  few  years. 

THE  CHICAGO  TRIBUNE. — The  Tribune  believes  the  full  sig- 
nificance of  this  Centennial  Year  should  be  brought  home  to  our 
people,  especially  to  the  young,  especially  to  the  foreign  born, 
especially  to  the  people  of  this  polyglot  city,  who  are  little  con- 
scious of  the  State  as  a  special  or  political  entity  or  of  its  inspiring 
part  in  the  history  of  America.  The  Tribune  believes  that  the  war 
gives  to  this  intelligent  effort  to  commemorate  our  past  an  excep- 
tional importance.  We  need  to  be  made  more  conscious  of  our 
nationality  and  our  statehood.  Many  of  our  citizens  need  to  have 
their  thoughts  turned  from  their  European  traditions  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  country  and  the  region  which  they  have  chosen  to 
make  their  home  and  to  which  they  now  owe  a  paramount,  an 
undivided  allegiance.  Many  races  have  gone  to  the  making  of 
Illinois,  from  the  pioneer  Frenchmen  of  heroic  memory  to  the  new- 
comers of  eastern  Europe.  But  now  they  have  chosen  to  be  Ameri- 
cans, to  be  Illinoisans,  and  it  is  well  for  us  all  in  this  year  of 
honorable  memories  and  world  responsibilities  to  draw  together,  to 
unite  in  commemoration  of  our  forerunners,  in  the  renewal  of  their 
spirit  and  in  drawing  strength  from  their  example  to  meet  the 
responsibilities  of  this  hour. 

THE  EOCK  ISLAND  UNION. — From  April  18,  1818,  to  the 
present  time,  Illinois  has  been  prosperous  and  patriotic.  From  a 
small  population  and  scattered  settlements  it  has  become  populous, 
prosperous,  and  has  a  record  of  fealty  to  the  government  surpassed 
by  no  state  in  the  Union.  In  every  crisis  Illinois  stood  back  of  the 
country  of  which  it  is  a  part. 

THE  CHAMPAIGN  NEWS. — A  century  ago  Illinois  started  out 
with  some  mighty  big  problems  confronting  her.  The  first  century 
of  her  existence  as  a  State  has  been  filled  with  accomplishments 
so  great  that  she  stands  the  peer  of  the  states  of  the  world.  Today 


392  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

at  the  beginning  of  her  second  century  she  stands  as  a  tremendous 
power  in  the  solution  of  the  problems  of  the  nation.  And  the 
State  and  nation  are  indeed  fortunate  that  the  driving  hand  of 
that  power  is  the  hand  of  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden.  Since  his 
induction  into  the  office  of  Governor  he  has  rapidly  demonstrated 
that  he  can  grasp  and  handle  big  problems  in  a  big  way. 

THE  JACKSONVILLE  COURIER. — Quite  generally  Illinois  is  en- 
gaged in  celebrating  its  one  hundredth  anniversary  as  a  State.  Its 
people  should  be  justly  proud  of  the  fact  that  it  has  been  a  member 
of  the  commonwealth  of  states  for  a  century,  for  Illinois  is  no 
ordinary  State,  but  stands  near  the  top  of  the  list  in  many  highly 
desirable  respects.  Carved  out  of  the  vast  prairies  by  the  pioneer, 
made  habitable  and  a  desirable  place  of  residence  by  the  wisdom 
of  those  early  settlers,  it  has  been  developed  into  probably  the 
greatest  agricultural  State  in  the  Union,  although  it  possibly  may 
be  passed  by  some  of  the  newer  commonwealths  by  the  time  they 
have  had  the  same  sort  of  development  and  have  enjoyed  the  same 
benefits  of  time.  It  is  as  well  a  great  manufacturing  State  and 
one  of  the  greatest  of  the  live  stock  producers  in  the  Union.  Illi- 
nois has  produced  great  men  in  plentitude  and  has  been  honored 
by  having  them  elevated  to  high  positions  in  national  affairs.  In 
educational  endeavors  the  State  stands  high,  its  university  ranking 
with  the  best  and  it  undoubtedly  is  given  more  liberal  support  than 
any  similar  institution  in  the  world. 

THE  CHICAGO  JOURNAL. — The  Centennial  Celebrations  now 
well  under  way  in  Illinois  are  properly  engaged  in  paying  their 
respects  to  Judge  Nathaniel  Pope,  who  was  the  delegate  of  the 
Illinois  Territory  in  Congress  at  the  time  when  the  Enabling  Act 
was  under  consideration.  The  State  owes  to  him  a  debt  which  can 
never  be  measured,  and  no  child  should  ever  be  allowed  to  pass 
through  the  schools  without  having  a  lesson  of  Pope's  great  service 
impressed  upon  his  memory.  Never  was  a  prophetic  vision  of 
statesman  better  exemplified  than  in  Pope's  plea  for  a  reconsidera- 
tion of  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State  as  fixed  by  the  north- 
western ordinance.  Without  the  counties  brought  within  the  limits 
of  the  State  by  the  40  miles  of  northward  extension  resulting  from 
Pope's  plea,  Illinois  would  have  continued  to  increase  its  population 


DOCUMENTS  393 

mainly  by  way  of  Ohio  River,  while  the  flood  of  immigration  from 
the  East  would  have  swelled  the  Wisconsin  census  figures.  Illinois 
would  have  remained  what  it  was  in  its  early  days,  a  State  in 
sympathy  with  slavery,  and  determined  to  legalize  the  "peculiar 
institution." 

THE  CHICAGO  POST. — If  Illinois  today  lives  up  to  the  record 
of  her  glorious  past  she  will  play  a  splendid  part  in  the  nation's 
supreme  effort.  The  story  of  our  State  is  an  inspiration,  and  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society  is  doing  real  service  by  visualizing  it 
for  us  just  now,  when  our  hearts  need  every  influence  and  impulse 
that  can  stir  it  to  action. 

THE  PEORIA  TRANSCRIPT. — Illinoisans  are  proud  of  their 
State.  It  has  contributed  notably  to  the  nation's  galaxy  of  states- 
men, soldiers  and  publicists,  to  its  industry,  commerce  and  trans- 
portation. Illinois,  rather  than  Pennsylvania,  is  the  keystone  state 
of  the  Union.  We  are  sometimes  hysterical  and  sometimes 
lethargic,  but  our  hearts  beat  true  and  in  this  great  struggle  for 
world  democracy,  the  sovereign  State  of  Illinois  has  no  cause  to  be 
ashamed. 

THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  JOURNAL. — This  city  has  been  the 
theater  of  some  of  the  greatest  events  in  the  history  of  Illinois. 
Here  have  its  greatest  men  lived  and  worked.  For  the  greater 
part  of  the  century,  it  has  been  the  political  center  of  the  State 
and  the  seat  of  government.  Its  history  has  been  largely  the  State's 
history.  Its  people  can  not  be  unappreciative  of  what  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois  means  to  the  capital  of  Illinois. 

THE  CHICAGO  HERALD. — Illinois  can  only  look  back  with  re- 
spect for  the  strong  men  and  women  who  achieved  so  much  and 
with  reverence  for  the  century  which  brought  so  many  things  to 
fruition,  and  with  humility  before  an  unread  future.  For  work 
which  calls  forth  the  best  of  human  gifts  is  still  waiting  to  be  done. 

THE  ROCKFORD  REGISTER-GAZETTE. — The  events  of  the  early 
day  interest  and  instruct  us.  They  were  the  forerunner  of  a  great 
State  of  the  future.  Several  separate  nations  of  Europe  are  not 
as  large  as  Illinois  in  population  and  are  short  of  its  possibilities 
in  food  raising. 


394  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

THE  SPRINGFIELD  NEWS-RECORD. — It  is  fortunate  that  Illi- 
nois is  to  observe  its  one  hundredth  anniversary,  this  year.  The 
Centennial  Celebration  will  serve  to  arouse  State  pride  and  State 
consciousness.  It  will  stir  up  community  interest,  as  nothing  else 
could. 

During  the  year,  every  county  is  to  have  its  local  celebration, 
and  there  will  be  a  great  central  observance  at  Springfield.  Every- 
where, the  part  Illinois  has  had  in  the  building  of  the  nation  will 
be  recalled  forcefully. 

The  fact  that  this  State  produced  the  President,  the  Com- 
mander-in- Chief  of  the  Army  and  many  of  the  great  statesmen  and 
brainy  generals  of  the  Civil  War,  should  spur  us  to  increased 
activity  at  this  time.  The  fact  that  Illinois  in  one  hundred  years 
has  grown  from  a  wilderness  inhabited  by  scarcely  40,000  people 
to  a  rich  State  of  6,000,000  population,  should  remind  us  of  our 
great  responsibilities. 

The  Centennial  Commission  has  no  intention  of  making  the 
celebration  a  play  festival.  It  is  to  be  deeply  patriotic,  and  will 
serve  a  patriotic  purpose.  Every  county,  every  city,  every  school, 
should  participate  in  it. 

Clippings  from  the  press  obtained  through  the  agency  of  two 
press  clipping  bureaus  have  been  collected  by  the  Publicity  Depart- 
ment during  the  year  and  pasted  in  scrap  books.  There  are  fifteen 
large  scrap  books  filled  with  these  clippings.  These  books  have 
been  indexed  and  will  be  kept  on  file  in  the  State  Historical  Library 
for  the  benefit  of  any  one  desiring  to  follow  in  detail  the  progress 
of  the  celebration. 

Beginning  with  a  handicap,  the  Centennial  Celebration  proved 
remarkably  successful  from  every  standpoint  and  this  success  is  due 
to  the  cooperation  of  the  press,  of  State  organizations,  of  local  com- 
mittees, and  of  the  public  generally,  in  disseminating  information 
regarding  the  purposes  and  ideals  of  the  celebration.  To  all  of 
these  agencies  and  not  to  the  Publicity  Department  alone,  which 
merely  sowed  the  seeds,  must  go  the  credit  for  the  great  amount 
of  publicity  the  celebration  secured  during  the  year. 


DOCUMENTS  395 

REPORT  OF  FEEDEEICK  BRUEGGEE,  PAGEANT 

MASTEE  TO  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL 

COMMISSION 

I  was  appointed  Pageant  Master  of  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Commission,,  June  10,  1918.  My  duties  were  to  consist  of  pre- 
senting in  public  performances,  Mr.  Wallace  Eice's  "Masque  of 
Illinois,"  music  by  Mr.  Edward  C.  Moore,  at  Springfield,  August 
26th,  and  in  Vandalia  late  in  September  as  well  as  to  present  Mr. 
Eice's  "Pageant  of  the  Illinois  Country"  at  Springfield  during  the 
first  week  of  October. 

Almost  immediately  after  my  appointment  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  assist  in  arranging  an  agreement  between  the  Centennial 
Commission  and  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  State  Council  of 
Defense.  By  this  agreement  the  Woman's  Committee  became  in- 
terested in  having  the  Masque  presented  throughout  the  State  by 
the  local  organizations. 

The  Commission  did  all  in  its  power  to  assist  the  towns  and 
cities  presenting  the  Masque.  In  several  cases,  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  send  me  in  order  to  instruct  the  local  committees  of  arrange- 
ments as  to  the  methods  of  procedure.  It  was  work  not  contem- 
plated in  my  contract,  but  it  gave  me  a  keen  personal  satisfaction 
to  be  engaged  in  what  I  considered  missionary  work  of  the  highest 
value.  For  there  is  nothing  so  develops  the  "get  together  spirit," 
as  the  presenting  of  a  historical  pageant  in  which  all  the  com- 
munity is  invited  to  take  part. 

However,  the  presentation  for  the  official  giving  of  the  Masque 
was  naturally  of  the  first  importance.  Upon  my  recommendations, 
assistants  were  appointed — Mr.  Russell  Abdill  as  art  director,  Mrs. 
Frederick  Bruegger  as  musical  director,  and  Miss  Lucy  Bates  as 
director  of  the  dance. 

No  praise  is  too  high  for  these  assistants  of  mine.  It  was 
love  of  the  work  which  added  the  enthusiasm  that  money  cannot 
buy. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  costumes,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Lanphier  and 
Mrs.  Logan  Hay,  the  Springfield  Costume  Committee,  accomplished 
wonders.  These  two  ladies  devoted  themselves  in  a  manner  which 


396  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

deserves  special  mention  both  now  and  one  hundred  years  from 
now  when  our  State's  second  hundred  years  will  be  told  in  speech, 
dance  and  in  song. 

Bracketed  with  their  names  must  go  those  of  Mrs.  P.  B. 
Warren,  Mrs.  Vincent  Y.  Dallman,  Miss  Theresa  Gorman  and  Mr. 
E.  Albert  Guest,  the  Cast  Committee  which  was  tireless  in  its 
efforts  of  securing  those  who  took  part  in  the  performances. 

Colonel  Bichings  J.  Shand  deserves  mention  in  the  same  niche 
of  fame. 

The  work  of  rehearsing  took  a  little  over  three  weeks,  while 
costuming,  etc.,  was  being  planned  and  prepared.  Mr.  Henry 
Helmle  drew  the  plans  for  the  stage  which  was  to  be  erected  in 
the  Coliseum.  He  and  Mr.  Clyde  Evans,  the  contractor,  though 
they  declared  it  could  not  be  done,  actually  did  what  I  believe  never 
was  done  before.  I  was  compelled  to  insist  upon  a  dress  rehearsal 
at  2  :30  Sunday  afternoon,  August  25th. 

Work  was  begun  at  8:00  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  August 
24th,  and  they  built  a  stage  127  feet  wide,  97  feet  deep,  with  three 
sets  of  wings,  16  feet  high,  an  apron  with  entrances  and  three  plat- 
forms to  the  stage.  Moreover,  we  were  rehearsing  at  2 :45  Sunday 
afternoon. 

More  than  fifty  loads  of  branches  and  actual  trees  converted 
this  stage  into  a  woodland  bower  which  won  the  praise  of  such 
critics  as  Mr.  Lorado  Taft,  the  sculptor  and  Mr.  Ealph  Clarkson, 
the  portrait  painter. 

Over  nine  hundred  people  took  part  in  the  performance  August 
26,  before  an  enormous  audience.  Thousands  of  people  were  turned 
away. 

The  Vandalia  performances  were  given  on  September  26, 
both  afternoon  and  evening  of  the  same  day,  as  it  rained  the  day 
of  the  first  performance.  They  were  given  out  of  doors,  the  audi- 
ences covering  a  semi-circular  hill. 

Three  hundred  and  fifty  people  took  part,  coming  from  all 
parts  of  Fayette  County.  The  evening  performance  will  always 
be  featured  in  my  mind  as  the  most  beautiful  out-of-door  scene  I 
have  beheld.  It  is  certain  that  in  addition  to  the  educational  value, 


DOCUMENTS  397 

the  presentations  have  left  a  lasting  community  spirit  influence 
throughout  the  Vandalia  district. 

There  is  credit  enough  for  all  in  Vandalia,  but  to  the  patience 
and  "stick-to-itiveness"  of  the  Hon.  J.  J.  Brown  and  Mr.  Norval 
Gochenouer  is  due  the  success  attained. 

It  was  decided  not  to  present  the  "Pageant  of  the  Illinois 
Country,"  but  to  repeat  the  Masque,  adding  a  new  scene  for  the 
October  celebration  at  Springfield.  Mr.  Eice  and  Mr.  Moore  sur- 
passed themselves  in  the  final  scene,  which  was  thrilling  and  enobl- 
ing  in  its  patriotic  appeal. 

It  was  rehearsed  in  ten  days  and  staged  with  more  than  thir- 
teen hundred  performers — a  splendid  success.  It  seemed  particu- 
larly fitting  that  the  daughter  of  Illinois'  Governor,  Miss  Florence 
Lowden,  could  and  did  interpret  the  taxing  role  of  Illinois;  that 
our  State's  Adjutant  General,  Frank  S.  Dickson,  should  be  gifted 
with  a  sonorous  voice  which  thrilled  its  hearers  as  he  spoke  the 
Prologue.  It  was  a  satisfaction  that  performers  came  from  every 
sect,  society  and  school. 

Figures  have  been  submitted,  reports  sent  in  by  the  committee 
and  nothing  but  a  slight  resume  is  called  for  from  your  Pageant 
Master,  but  may  I  not  take  this  opportunity  of  thanking  your 
Chairman,  Dr.  Otto  L.  Schmidt,  your  Secretary,  Mrs.  Jessie 
Palmer  Weber  and  the  Commission  itself,  collectively  and  indi- 
vidually for  the  unfailing  courtesy  and  painstaking  help  constantly 
given  me.  To  Mr.  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  your  Director,  and  Mr. 
Halbert  0.  Crews,  your  Publicity  Expert,  I  also  extend  my  thanks. 

Though  I  live  to  see  the  next  Centennial,  I  can  never  forget, 
come  to  me  whatever  honors  there  may,  I  shall  always  esteem  it 
the  highest  privilege  I  ever  attained,  that  I  was  permitted  to  have 
been  Pageant  Master  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission. 


PAGEANTS  AND  MASQUES 

BY  WALLACE  KICE 

Whatever  the  forms  assumed  in  modern  times  by  pageants, 
such  forms,  in  response  to  the  innate  desire  in  human  nature  for 
the  display  of  all  the  splendors  humanity  can  command,  are  of 
the  remotest  antiquity.  Memorials  of  them  are  carved  upon  an- 


398  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

cient  Egyptian  bassi  rilievi,  are  shown  in  Grecian  sculpture,  and 
persist  in  the  triumphal  arches  of  the  Komans.  Indeed,  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  no  tribe  of  men  has  ever  been  found,  however 
savage  its  state,  which  did  not  combine  processions,  dancing,  songs, 
and  some  form  of  histrionism  for  the  better  celebration  of  high 
events  in  its  annals,  whether  religious  or  secular.  Indications  of 
them  are  to  be  found  in  the  Scriptures,  while  Babylon  and  Peru, 
Nineveh  and  Mexico,  ancient  Hindus  and  modern  red  Indians,  all 
used  the  materials  now  come  into  new  being  in  later  years  for  the 
manifestation  of  their  belief  in  their  gods  or  in  themselves. 

Many  of  the  pageants  instituted  during  the  middle  ages  per- 
sisted in  European  cities  until  the  beginning  of  the  Great  War,  and 
many  more  will  doubtless  be  revived  now  that  it  is  closed.  In 
these  the  religious  and  military  and  civil  bodies  of  the  place  usually 
collaborated,  as  was  the  medieaval  custom.  It  is  to  be  remarked 
that  all  pageantry,  ancient  and  modern,  has  always  proceeded  in 
a  manner  carefully  prescribed,  often  based  upon  older  precedent, 
and  frequently  according  to  a  strict  ritual  ceremony.  The  religious 
processions  of  remote  civilization,  the  triumphs  and  ovations  of 
the  Eomans,  the  great  celebrations  through  centuries  of  feast  days 
in  the  Eoman  Catholic  and  Greek  churches,  the  coronations  of 
monarchs,  even  the  processions  of  returning  soldiers  in  the  days 
just  passing,  have  in  them  all  the  ordered  effect  of  numerous  re- 
hearsals, of  details  carefully  worked  out  beforehand,  of  music  and 
color,  and  in  most  cases  of  the  spoken  word  used  with  dramatic 
effect.  That  public  celebrations  have  taken  on  this  character  of 
well  considered  and  adroitly  ordered  ceremony  is  due  of  course  to 
the  fact  that  either  the  soldier,  the  priest,  or  both  have  been  in  con- 
trol, the  two  professions  which  above  all  others  lend  themselves 
to  ceremonial.  What  the  lack  of  it  means  requires  no  later  in- 
stancing than  the  celebrations  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice  in 
November,  1918 ;  they  were  mere  disorder,  with  their  tendency  to- 
ward rowdyism  and  rioting. 

The  word  pageant  is  both  peculiar  to  English  and  old  in  the 
language.  Its  first  use,  so  far  as  careful  investigation  discloses  it, 
is  by  Wyclif  in  1380,  when  it  stands  for  a  scene  in  a  mystery  play, 
and  is  plausibly  derived  from  the  Latin  pagina,  a  single  page  suf- 


DOCUMENTS  399 

ficing  for  the  instructions  for  a  single  scene.  But  it  also  meant 
the  stage  or  platform,  fixed  or  movable,  upon  which  the  mystery 
was  enacted,  and  was  so  used  twelve  years  later.  By  1432  it  had 
come  to  have  an  inclusive  meaning  for  any  sort  of  show,  device,  or 
temporary  structure,  exhibited  as  a  feature  of  a  public  triumph  or 
celebration,  and  it  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  the  last  century 
that  it  took  on  the  significance  of  splendid  display  or  spectacle,  in 
which  it  is  now  chiefly  used. 

The  practice  has  persisted,  whatever  the  changes  in  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word.  Many  of  the  ancient  cities  of  the  European  con- 
tinent have  annually  commemorated  episodes  in  their  history 
through  centuries,  and  Coventry  in  England  in  1678  began  the 
processions  showing  the  traditional  ride  of  Lady  Godiva  through 
its  streets.  But  in  the  purely  modern  sense  of  the  term,  the  pageant 
owes  its  existence  to  Mr.  Louis  K.  Parker,  the  English  novelist 
and  dramatist,  who  began  a  long  series  of  artistic  triumphs  in  this 
field  with  the  Pageant  of  Sherborne  in  1905.  It  is  said,  and  is 
possibly  true,  that  Mr.  Parker  took  his  brilliant  idea  from  "The 
Pageant  of  Eough  Eiders"  in  the  Hon.  William  F.  Cody's  'Wild 
West  Show/ 

These  pageants  of  Mr.  Parker's  were  all  commemorative  of  the 
local  history  of  the  city  in  which  they  were  given,  and  included  all 
that  can  be  said  to  make  up  a  display  at  once  commemorative  and 
splendid.  They  were  made  up,  like  the  old  mystery  plays,  of  pro- 
cessions, of  scenes  acted  on  floats  or  on  historical  spots,  with  appro- 
priate dialogue,  costuming,  and  action,  of  memorial  poems  and 
addresses,  of  marches  and  songs  and  dances  to  music  often  specially 
composed,  and  sometimes  with  temporary  stages  highly  decorated 
and  made  beautiful  with  varicolored  lights  at  night.  Little  de- 
pendent upon  professional  actors,  though  these  have  often  taken 
part,  they  have  been  community  affairs  in  which  the  most  capable 
of  resident  volunteers  have  supplied  the  persons  for  both  proces- 
sions and  dramatic  scenes.  The  tendency  has  been  to  enlarge  their 
scope,  so  suitable  have  they  proved  for  celebrations  of  various  kinds, 
as  when  the  pageant  of  the  Church  of  England  was  given  on  the 
grounds  of  the  palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  1909, 
two  years  after  the  University  of  Oxford  had  celebrated  in  a  simi- 


400  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

lar  manner.  There  is  little  doubt  that  they  will  be  revived  in  Eng- 
land after  reconstruction  has  brought  complete  peace  to  the  nation. 

In  the  United  States  the  city  of  New  Orleans  has,  since  1827, 
given  elaborate  pageants  at  carnivaltide,  the  first  procession  being 
seen  in  that  year,  floats  being  used  for  the  first  time  ten  years  later. 
Interrupted  only  by  the  Civil  War,  these  celebrations  are  both  elab- 
orate and  splendid,  and  require  no  detailed  description  here.  But 
the  incidents  used  are  not  as  a  rule  historical,  and  have  the  widest 
possible  field  in  literature  and  drama  and  allegory.  Preceding  Mr. 
Parker's  Sherborne  pageant  by  four  years,  Yale  College  gave  a 
pageant,  the  book  of  which  was  written  by  Professor  E.  B.  Reed, 
at  its  bicentennial  celebration,  made  up  chiefly  of  scenes  taken  from 
the  long  and  honorable  history  of  the  institution  and  played  upon 
a  stage  with  appropriate  dialogue  and  costumes.  But  this  was 
sporadic;  the  revival  is  due  to  Mr.  Parker,  as  stated.  This  was 
followed  in  1916  by  the  pageant  of  the  Yale  Bowl,  which  incorpor- 
ated music,  dancing,  allegory,  and  all  the  features  possible  in  an 
out-of-door  performance  in  daylight,  serving  to  show  the  great  dis- 
tance passed  in  fifteen  years  in  the  conception  of  pageantry. 

Illinois  is  fortunate  in  having  added  considerably  to  the  en- 
largement of  the  pageant  idea,  with  a  growth  which  owes  little  or 
nothing  to  the  preceding  events  mentioned  in  England  or  the  older 
States  of  the  Union.  Mr.  Thomas  Wood  Stevens,  born  in  Days- 
ville,  Ogle  County,  wrote  in  January,  1909.  'The  Pageant  of  the 
Italian  Renaissance/  which  was  produced  at  the  Art  Institute  in 
Chicago  by  the  painters,  sculptors,  and  art  students  of  the  city, 
with  an  effect  seldom  attained  in  recent  times.  Mr.  Stevens  took 
for  his  model  Shakespere's  'Henry  V/  dramatizing  such  scenes  as 
lent  themselves  to  this  treatment,  and  telling  the  rest  of  the  long 
story  by  means  of  prologues  spoken  by  a  herald.  There  is  no  bet- 
ter blank  verse  written  for  stage  production  in  modern  America 
than  that  composed  by  Mr.  Stevens  for  his  six  prologues  and  eleven 
of  his  twelve  scenes,  the  eighth  alone  being  in  prose ;  and  the  entire 
production  can  best  be  described  as  magnificent.  Its  sole  defect 
was  its  length,  which  extended  somewhat  beyond  the  two  hours 
and  a  half  constituting  the  apparent  limit  of  an  American  audi- 
ence's patience. 


DOCUMENTS  401 

The  same  year  saw  Mr.  Stevens'  "Historical  Pageant  of  Illi- 
nois" produced  at  the  Northwestern  University  in  Evanston,  to  be 
followed  by  pageants  at  Belleville,  Edwardsville,  the  "Pageant  of 
the  Old  Northwest"  at  Milwaukee  in  1911,  the  "Independence  Day 
Pageant"  written  in  collaboration  with  the  late  Kenneth  Sawyer 
Goodman  in  Chicago  in  1915,  the  altogether  beautiful  and  impres- 
sive "Pageant  of  St.  Louis"  in  1914,  that  in  Newark  in  1916,  and 
several  more  of  lesser  note.  In  all,  historical  scenes  with  prologues 
were  utilized. 

The  form  into  which  these  works  of  Mr.  Stevens  tended  to 
crystallize,  the  time  element  playing  its  necessary  part,  takes  from 
the  history  of  the  community  celebrating  the  six  scenes  best  lend- 
ing themselves  to  dramatic  portrayal  in  chronological  order,  links 
them  with  prologues  before  each  scene,  limits  the  scenes  to  less 
than  twenty  minutes  and  the  prologues  to  not  more  than  fifty  lines, 
seeks  to  organize  the  stage  so  that  stage  waits  will  not  exceed  ten 
minutes,  and  with  good  stage  management  compress'es  a  complete 
historical  celebration  well  within  three  hours.  They  all  require 
the  most  expert  stage  management,  are  written  for  out-of-door  pro- 
duction on  a  temporary  stage  between  50  and  80  feet  wide  and  cor- 
respondingly deep,  provide  for  such  dances  as  assist  in  explaining 
local  history,  admit  of  songs  to  the  same  end,  but  in  the  main  rely 
upon  their  effects  by  dramatic  scenes  and  prologues.  They  are  best 
given  at  night,  when  darkness  can  be  used  as  a  curtain  for  the  neces- 
sary scene  shifting,  and  when  the  effects  of  modern  stage  lighting 
can  only  be  obtained. 

"The  Glorious  Gateway  of  the  West,"  composed  by  the  late 
Kenneth  Sawyer  Goodman  and  the  writer  of  this  for  the  Indiana 
centennial  at  Fort  Wayne  in  1916,  shows  this  type  of  pageant  in 
hands  other  than  those  of  its  originator.  So  does  "The  Pageant  of 
the  Illinois  Country"  and  "The  Six  Little  Plays  for  Illinois  Chil- 
dren," both  written  for  the  Illinois  Centennial,  and  thought  to  be 
the  first  attempts  to  render  the  history  of  a  commonwealth  as  dis- 
tinguished from  a  city,  as  well  as  the  first  attempts  to  fill  the  inter- 
vals between  the  acts  with  processions  of  an  historical  character, 

—26  C  C 


402 

thus  demanding  even  more  careful  organization  and  expert  stage 
management  than  before. 

"The  Pageant  of  Illinois,"  designed  for  the  October  celebration 
at  the  Auditorium  in  Chicago,  was  of  a  different  character.  Time 
being  denied  for  adequate  rehearsals,  the  dramatic  scenes  could  not 
be  used.  But  a  chorus  of  500  voices  was  promised  as  a  background 
to  the  processions,  considerably  elaborated,  of  the  pageant  previ- 
ously mentioned,  and  all  the  music  for  the  Centennial  composed 
and  adapted  by  Mr.  Edward  C.  Moore,  marches,  songs,  and  dances, 
was  also  available.  Much  of  the  procession  was  to  have  passed  to 
the  singing  of  the  chorus,  which  was  also  to  serve  as  an  accompani- 
ment for  the  dances.  The  opportunity  passed,  and  will  not  come 
again  until  a  body  of  music  comparable  with  Mr.  Moore's  is  again 
at  the  disposal  of  the  celebrants.  It  may  be  stated  with  confidence 
that  not  less  than  six  weeks'  rehearsal  should  precede  any  attempt 
to  give  such  a  performance,  and  that  nothing  less  than  the  most  ex- 
pert stage  management  procurable  can  secure  the  results  desired 
even  then. 

It  is  to  be  noted  further  that  in  designing  the  several  scenes 
for  such  a  dramatic  pageant  as  has  been  described,  it  is  desirable 
to  secure  the  services  of  as  many  persons  as  can  be  induced  to  volun- 
teer. There  need  not  be  many  speaking  parts,  but  anything  like 
the  economy  of  characters  which  must  be  considered  in  the  com- 
mercial drama  has  no  place  here.  The  stage  is  almost  of  necessity 
a  large  one,  and  to  secure  effects  it  should  be  a  populous  one.  In 
his  pageant  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  the  exigencies  of  seating  com- 
pelled Mr.  Stevens  into  the  use  of  a  stage  hundreds  of  feet  in  length 
in  order  that  with  a  shallow  space  available  .for  his  audience  as 
many  could  be  seated  as  possible.  The  results  were  not  so  happy 
that  a  stage  wider  than  80  feet  should  be  again  resorted  to.  It  re- 
quires too  long  for  any  given  character  to  reach  a  position  in  which 
the  attention  of  an  audience  so  distributed  can  be  secured,  and  too 
long  to  retreat  from  it.  Mr.  Stevens  used  what  he  called  "dissolv- 
ing foci"  to  overcome  the  difficulty,  whereby  groups  near  one  en- 
trance could  give  way  to  groups  near  the  other,  but  the  experiment 
could  not  be  called  successful.  Eighty  feet  is  as  much  as  can  be 
effectively  controlled,  and  if  there  is  fifty  feet  of  depth  it  will  take 


DOCUMENTS  403 

a  hundred  or  more  characters  to  make  the  stage  fully  interesting, 
two  hundred  is  not  too  many,  and  with  expert  management  a  still 
larger  number  can  be  utilized  to  advantage  in  each  scene.  With 
such  a  number,  too,  occasional  processional  effects  can  be  secured, 
groups  made  to  meet  and  dissolve  into  one  another,  later  to  sepa- 
rate and  take  their  own  courses.  And  the  possibilities  of  staging 
actual  conflicts,  such  as  enter  into  the  history  of  most  American 
communities,  are  thus  given  far  greater  chances  for  plausibility. 

The  costs  of  such  a  pageant  are  large  and  increase  with  the 
number  of  participants.  But  so  does  the  interest  in  the  commun- 
ity upon  which  the  attendance  depends.  Being  out-of-doors,  this 
attendance  is  conditioned  on  the  weather,  and  no  date  should  be 
set  without  the  assurance  of  the  nearest  weather  bureau  that  the 
chance  for  a  succession  of  fair'  and  warm  nights  is  better  than 
average.  A  charge  should  always  be  made,  sufficient  to  recoup 
the  projectors  of  the  celebration  and,  whenever  possible,  to  leave 
enough  to  erect  a  permanent  memorial  of  the  event  celebrated. 
The  public  values  little  what  is  given  it  for  nothing,  and  is  actu- 
ally more  interested  in  going  to  a  performance  for  which  it  has 
to  pay.  The  number  of  performances  must  depend  upon  the  size 
of  the  community  and  the  provisions  for  transportation  in  its 
neighborhood,  both  for  coming  to  and  for  going  from  the  grounds 
where  they  are  given.  And  publicity  is  an  essential  expense  to 
be  reckoned  on. 

The  technic  of  the  pageant  is,  of  course,  the  technic  of  the 
drama  with  such  changes  as  the  essential  conditions  compel.  Work- 
ing out  a  dramatic  situation  in  twenty  minutes  or  less,  there  is, 
obviously,  no  time  for  the  introduction  and  identification  of  char- 
acters, such  as  may  be  insisted  upon  in  other  stage  productions. 
This  must  be  effected  by  the  programmes,  and  to  make  it  the  more 
certain,  these  should  be  given  the  widest  possible  circulation  in 
advance.  The  occasion,  too,  is  a  celebration,  and  no  pageant  is 
put  on  for  a  run.  Eesorting  to  tricks  of  one  sort  and  another 
familiar  to  every  producer  of  burlesque,  revue,  musical  comedy, 
and  the  like,  as  if  the  pageant,  too,  were  making  a  bid  for  the 
continued  flow  of  money  from  its  audiences  and  were  solely  de- 
pendent upon  them  for  its  support,  is  an  idle  waste  of  energy. 


404  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Then,  too,  the  facts  of  history  are  inexorable,  and  in  this  respect 
accuracy  is  essential  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  dramatic  opportunity. 
With  a  large  number  of  persons  on  the  stage,  particular  attention 
should  be  given  to  movement,  as  distinguished  from  action ;  scenes 
combining  both  are,  it  is  apparent,  to  be  striven  for.  This  does 
not  mean  that  local  legends,  which  sometimes  have  the  narrowest 
basis  in  fact,  may  not  be  utilized;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  fre- 
quently effective  material.  But  they  should  be  noted  as  legends. 
One  difficulty  stands  in  the  way  of  securing  from  an  audi- 
ence the  appreciation  necessary  for  dramatic  success  in  any  pub- 
lic celebration  through  dramatic  form  from  one  end  of  America 
to  the  other:  The  prejudice  against  the  theatre  which  is  found 
in  many  of  the  religious  denominations,  including  some  which 
are  numerically  powerful.  This  is  the  fundamental  trouble,  lead- 
ing to  inability  to  grasp  the  scene  even  when  depicted,  to  the 
absence  of  amateur  actors  with  experience  from  which  to  cast 
pageants,  to  lack  of  voices,  especially  among  women,  which  can 
project  themselves  to  the  audience,  to  a  lack  of  conviction  in  the 
necessity  of  repeated  rehearsals  that  the  pageant  may  go  aright  on 
the  night,  and  to  a  hundred  minor  matters  which  force  the  de- 
mand that  the  stage  manager  and  his  assistants,  at  least,  shall 
have  professional  experience  and  the  power  to  secure  obedience 
to  directions  hard  to  gain  from  quite  undisciplined  participants 
in  the  performance.  It  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted  that  if  a 
town  or  community  is  worth  celebrating,  it  is  worth  celebrating 
well,  and  any  community  seeking  to  celebrate  along  lines  of  least 
resistance  will  find  itself  the  worse,  instead  of  the  better,  if  it 
does  not  secure  the  best  production  possible,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  audiences  are  dramatically  inexperienced.  Too  many 
are  betrayed  by  the  fallacy  Doctor  Johnson  found  in  the  admira- 
tion bestowed  upon  a  dog  walking  on  its  hind  legs — "It  is  not 
done  well,  but  you  are  surprised  to  find  it  done  at  all."  The 
writer  is  entirely  of  opinion  that  a  poor  celebration  is  worse  than 
none,  and  that  if  it  cannot  be  done  well,  it  had  better  not  be  done 
at  all.  And  if  it  is  to  be  done  upon  a  stage  through  any  dramatic 
medium,  it  cannot  possibly  be  done  well  by  any  person  or  combi- 


DOCUMENTS  405 

nation  of  persons  unfamiliar  with  stage  traditions,  methods,  and 
practice. 

It  is  worth  remembering,  too,  that  there  is  an  essential  im- 
morality involved  in  taking  money  from  an  audience  and  not  re- 
turning it  straightway  in  the  form  of  the  money's  worth;  just  as 
there  is  an  assured  immorality  in  not  exacting  the  full  money's 
worth  for  a  good  performance;  Governor  Altgeld  has  pointed  out 
the  evils  that  flow  from  "getting  something  for  nothing."  "Sub- 
mission to  the  test  of  the  market,"  in  the  vivid  phrase  of  Professor 
Henry  Augustin  Beers,  has  been  the  test  of  good  literature  and 
good  drama  from  the  beginning;  and  if  a  community  giving  a 
pageant  is  in  a  real  sense  able  to  rely  for  attendance  at  it  upon 
something  more  than  a  commercial  quid  pro  quo,  all  the  more 
is  it  in  honor  bound  to  do  so  much  at  least.  To  do  otherwise  is 
to  combine  the  acceptance  of  public  charity  with  fraud  in  the 
means  by  which  the  charity  is  obtained. 

Once  outside  the  realm  of  the  dramatic  historical  pageant, 
a  creature  as  has  been  seen  of  essentially  modern  birth  and  growth, 
for  purposes  of  public  celebration  the  masque  immediately  pre- 
sents itself.  Democratic  and  receptive  as  the  pageant  idea  has 
always  been  in  this  country  since  its  inception,  no  useful  or  artis- 
tic purpose  is  served  by  confusion  of  ideas  and  terms  expressing 
it.  The  pageant  may  very  well  remain  episodic  historical 
dramatization,  with  its  characters  those  of  history.  Its  book  there- 
fore will  be  in  prose  and  may  or  may  not  be  literature  so  long  as 
it  is  dramatic.  It  rightly  includes  historical  orations  and  speeches, 
historical  dances  to  show  older  customs  and  manners,  historical 
songs,  historical  prayers  and  religious  services,  as  well  as  dances 
written  to  aid  in  the  explication  of  historical  ideas  and  songs  to 
the  same  end. 

But  symbolism  and  allegory  belong  in  another  field  and  it 
requires  a  more  than  ordinarily  skilful  hand  to  combine  the  prose 
of  the  pageant  with  the  poetry  involved  in  the  other  medium.  It 
is  well,  therefore,  to  call  these  last  masques  or  masque  scenes, 
and  leave  the  word  pageant  to  describe  dramatic  productions  in 
strictly  dramatic  scenes  in  which  there  is,  nevertheless,  a  proces- 
sional idea — of  the  orderly  march  of  historical  events,  if  nothing 


406  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

more,  concluding  with  a  return  to  the  stage  of  all  the  persons  of 
the  scenes  upon  the  close  of  the  last  by  way  of  grand  finale  as  in 
'The  Pageant  of  the  Kenaissance/  or,  as  in  'The  Pageant  of  the 
Illinois  Country/  with  processions  between  the  scenes  and  a  final 
procession  of  soldiers  and  sailors  and  the  flags  of  the  Allied  Na- 
tions. 

With  the  masque,  writer,  actors,  and  audience  are  upon  as- 
sured dramatic  ground  at  last,  and  dealing  with  something  more 
than  modern  invention  and  ingenious  experimentation.  More- 
over, they  are  all  dealing  with  the  only  form  of  dramatic  literature 
which  has  assured  dramatic  and  literary  merit  and  which — and 
this  is  most  important  and  little  taken  into  account — with  a  form 
of  dramatic  literature  in  which  accomplished  play-writers  wrote 
for  amateur,  as  distinguished  from  professional,  production. 
Shakespeare  himself  utilized  its  methods  in  "A  Midsummer 
Nigth's  Dream"  and  "The  Tempest,,"  and  the  great  Ben  Johnson 
was  its  best  exponent  and  placed  next  himself  Fletcher  and  Chap- 
man as  masque  writers.  Every  student  of  English  literature 
knows,  or  should  know,  of  the  masques  of  the  later  Tudors  and 
earlier  Stuarts,  and  they  should  be  familiar  to  all  attempting  to 
enter  this  field  in  our  own  day;  such  knowledge  could  not  fail  to 
produce  better  masques. 

In  their  simpler  forms  masques  closely  approached  proces- 
sional pageants  in  showy  display  and  absence  of  the  spoken  word 
and  not  infrequently  surpassed  them  in  expenditure  and  splendor. 
They  brought  together  in  a  single  show  when  at  their  best,  oratory 
and  dramatic  dialogue,  the  song  and  dance,  and  the  most  ingenious 
and  elaborate  stage  decorations  and  mechanisms.  The  dramas 
of  ancient  Athens  are  probably  the  only  stage  productions  upon 
which  more  money  was  spent,  and  these  they  probably  exceeded  in 
mechanical  ingenuity.  Let  it  be  said  in  proof  that  Shirley's 
"Triumph  of  Peace"  produced  by  the  members  of  the  Four  Inns  of 
Court  at  London  on  February  3,  1633-4,  cost  the  modern  equiva- 
lent of  more  than  $1,000,000,  of  which  more  than  $50,000  went 
to  the  music  alone,  and  was  probably  exceeded  by  Carew's  "Coelum 
Britannica,"  given  fifteen  days  later,  in  which  King  James  I  acted. 
The  music  for  both  was  written  by  Henry  Lawes,  the  stage  rna- 


DOCUMENTS  407 

chinery  and  effects  for  both  devised  by  Inigo  Jones.  And  on 
September  29  of  the  same  year  Henry  Lawes,  whom  Milton  has 
immortalized  in  a  sonnet  which  should  be  learnt  by  heart  by  every 
modern  musician  who  undertakes  to  set  a  poet's  words  to  music, 
procured  for  this  same  John  Milton  the  writing  and  production 
of  'Comus'  at  Ludlow  Castle  near  the  Welsh  border,  Milton  having 
already  proved  his  capacity  for  such  a  task  three  or  four  years 
earlier  with  'Arcades/  played  at  Harefield,  the  county  seat  of  the 
Dowager  Duchess  of  Derby,  only  ten  miles  from  Horton,  the  home 
of  Milton  and  his  father,  this  latter  an  accomplished  musician. 
But  after  these  early  and  most  glorious  days  of  the  masque 
it  so  completely  disappeared  from  view  in  the  English  speaking 
world  that  the  last  edition  of  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica  can 
say  of  it  in  1911,  "It  is  strange  that  later  English  poets  should 
have  done  so  little  to  restore  to  its  nobler  uses,  and  to  invest  with 
a  new  significance,  a  form  so  capable  of  further  development  as 
the  poetic  masque." 

Here  again  it  is  with  pride  that  Illinois  can  point  to  the  steps 
here  first  taken  to  bring  it  anew  into  public  favor.  William 
Vaughn  Moody,  long  connected  with  the  University  of  Chicago, 
published  in  1900  his  'Masque  of  Judgment/  a  noble  poem  cast 
in  masque  form  and,  though  written  as  literature  and  before  its 
author  had  turned  his  attention  to  the  drama  properly  speaking, 
capable  of  stage  production  in  much  the  older  manner.  In  1906 
Thomas  Wood  Stevens  and  the  present  writer  composed  "The 
Chaplet  of  Pan"  for  production  by  the  Little  Eoom  of  Chicago. 
Owing  to  the  difficulties  not  always  to  be  avoided  when  writing 
for  amateurs,  this  masque  was  not  actually  given  until  produced 
by  Donald  Robertson  and  his  company  of  Players  at  Eavinia  Park 
on  the  night  of  August  29,  1908,  following  a  revival  of  "Comus" 
by  the  same  company.  The  evening  was  notable  for  its  music 
also,  the  Chicago  Orchestra  furnishing  the  incidental  music  for 
the  masque,  the  songs  in  which  were  set  to  music  by  Mr.  Frederick 
Stock,  its  accomplished  leader.  This  masque  has  been  given  a 
number  of  times  since  and  at  many  places,  including  the  Chicago 
Art  Institute  and  the  University  of  Illinois,  with  the  students 
there  filling  the  cast. 


408  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

This  was  followed  during  the  winter  of  1909  by  'The  Topaz 
Amulet'  by  the  same  hands,  which  had  a  masque  scene,  and  there- 
after Mr.  Stevens  in  collaboration  with  the  late  Kenneth  Sawyer 
Goodman,  a  native  of  Chicago,  wrote  and  had  produced  the  bril- 
liant series  known  as  'Masques  of  East  and  West/  which  includes 
'The  Daimio's  Head'  (1911),  'The  Masque  of  Quetzal's  Bowl,' 
written  for  the  opening  of  the  Cliff  Dwellers'  rooms  in  the  same 
year,  'The  Masque  of  Montezuma'  (1912),  'Caesar's  Gods'  (1913), 
and  'Eainald  and  the  Bed  Wolf  (1914),  the  last  three  designed 
to  open  the  annual  festival  of  the  students  at  the  Art  Institute 
in  Chicago.  There  is  an  interesting  discussion  of  the  meaning 
of  the  word  masque  by  Mr.  Stevens  and  Mr.  Percy  Mackaye  in 
the  volume  containing  these  plays,  published  by  the  Stage  Guild 
in  Chicago,  in  which  is  set  forth  the  essential  difference  between 
them  and  the  masques  or  Grove  Plays  which  have  been  so  long 
the  feature  of  the  annual  outing  of  the  Bohemian  Club  of  San 
Francisco  in  the  Bohemian  Redwood  Grove;  "in  their  form,"  Mr. 
Mackaye  says,  "the  masques  of  California  tend  to  verge  upon  the 
domain  of  opera;  the  masques  of  Chicago  tend  to  become  plays," 
and  goes  on  to  define  a  masque  as  "an  actable  poem  adapted  to 
special  place  and  occasion,"  which  is  also  applicable  to  the  earlier 
English  masques.  Mr.  Stevens  quotes  a  more  familiar  definition 
which  says,  "Masque  is  to  the  play  as  bas  relief  is  to  sculpture  in 
the  round,"  and  himself  prescribes  a  formula  which  reads  "dramatic 
entertainments  written  for  festal  occasions,  and  ending  with  danc- 
ing," which  the  present  writer  would  modify  to  include  dancing 
in  the  masque  itself. 

Perhaps  the  essential  difference  between  masque  and  pageant 
can  be  succinctly  set  forth  with  the  statement  that  the  emphasis 
of  the  pageant  is  upon  the  play  and  the  procession,  the  emphasis 
of  the  masque  upon  the  poem  and  the  dance.  Yet  there  is  no 
exclusion  in  the  idea  of  either,  as  has  been  shown;  there  may  be 
dancing  in  the  pageant,  processions  in  the  masque,  music  and 
songs,  stage  lighting  and  decoration  in  both. 

Mr.  Stevens  has  gone  on  to  the  great  artistic  triumph  involved 
in  his  masque,  'The  Drawing  of  the  Sword/  perhaps  the  most  in- 
spiring of  all  the  literature  produced  by  citizens  of  the  United 


DOCUMENTS  409 

States  during  the  war  now  triumphantly  ended,  which  was  given 
in  many  American  cities  in  1917  and  1918,  after  its  first  produc- 
tion at  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology  on  June  5,  1917, 
registration  day.  Of  similar  nature  is  Mr.  William  Chauncy 
Langdon's  'The  Sword  of  America/  produced  in  Urbana  and 
Springfield  in  1918.  Departing  from  it  in  essentials  but  com- 
bining opening  and  closing  masque  scenes  with  three  pageant  epi- 
sodes is  'The  Wonderful  Story  of  Illinois/  written  for  the  Cen- 
tennial Commission  by  Miss  Grace  Arlington  Owen  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Here  may  also  be  mentioned  'The  Masque  of  Illinois/  per- 
haps the  only  attempt  recorded  to  present  the  continuous  history 
from  the  beginning  of  a  sovereign  State,  written  for  the  Centen- 
nial Commission  and  played  twice  at  Springfield  and  once  at  Van- 
dalia,  in  1918,  and  'The  Masque  of  Illinois  Wars/  written  for  the 
Centennial  celebration  at  Chicago  in  October,  1918,  and  with  its 
three  extended  scenes,  songs,  dances,  and  stage  effects,  the  most 
ambitious  masque  yet  projected  in  the  United  States. 

In  closing,  something  might  be  said  of  the  dangers  attend- 
ant upon  the  writing  and  production  of  masques  and  pageants. 
If  the  history  of  any  city,  community,  or  state  is  so  lacking  in 
incident  as  to  require  the  inclusion  of  material  common  to  all  the 
world,  it  is  in  order,  perhaps,  to  make  such  an  inclusion.  But  in 
the  West,  at  least,  there  is  so  much  that  is  interesting  and  roman- 
tic, Indian,  French,  Spanish,  British,  that  it  would  seem  as  if 
both  poetic  and  dramatic  inspiration  might  readily  flow  from  such 
sources,  and  even  that  a  strict  limitation  to  episodes  falling  within 
the  boundaries  of  a  single  place  would  still  leave  the  writer  with 
sufficient  material  and  all  of  it  locally  pertinent.  Yet  Kansas 
has  produced  a  pageant-masque  which  included  the  Glacial  Epoch 
and  excluded  its  first  European  discoverer,  though  he  bore  the 
name  of  Francisco  de  Coronado.  Nothing  could  be  better  than 
the  revival  of  old  dances  or  the  composition  of  new  and  symbolic 
ones  for  local  celebrations,  but  a  dancing  festival  made  up  of 
any  dances  that  can  be  pressed  into  service  is  neither  a  masque  or 
a  pageant,  but  an  exhibition  of  stock  dances  with  no  possible  local 
application  and  without  historical  value — even  without  aesthetic 
value  unless  the  dancing  is  better  than  ordinary  and  used  with 


410 

the  strictest  economy  and  always  with  a  definite  end  in  view. 
And  so  of  local  talent  in  general  without  a  close  and  immediate 
contact  with  the  event  to  be  celebrated  the  danger  is  that  it  is 
only  too  likely  to  degenerate  into  much  such  a  concoction  as  the 
prudent  housewife  worriedly  puts  forth  when  taken  unawares  and 
forced  to  use  what  she  has  in  the  house.  There  should  be  the 
prime  concept  throughout  the  celebration  of  unity,  of  a  fixed  trend 
toward  a  certain  goal,  and  the  bringing  into  the  modern  mind 
of  the  ideas  and  events  by  which  the  present  state  of  well  being 
has  been  reached. 

Finally  let  it  be  pointed  out  that  when  the  hundred  or  more 
aspirants  for  honors  in  masque  and  pageant  writing  and  design- 
ing make  their  application  every  year  to  the  Dramatic  School  of 
the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Technology  at  Pittsburg,  its  head,  Mr. 
Thomas  Wood  Stevens,  here  shown  to  be  the  most  distinguished 
writer  of  both  masques  and  pageants  the  United  States  of  America 
has  produced,  has  one  invariable  reply:  "We  offer  you  a  four 
years'  course  in  everything  relating  to  the  drama  and  its  pro- 
duction on  the  stage.  The  masque  and  pageant  are  departments, 
and  those  not  of  the  first  importance,  in  this  wide  field.  If  you 
wish  to  learn  how  to  write  and  produce  anything,  large  or  small, 
within  this  field,  our  theoretical  studies  and  practical  productions 
will  fit  you  for  this,  if  you  have  the  necessary  personal  equipment. 
To  offer  you  less  would  be  to  leave  you  ignorant;  for  you  to  take 
less  would  leave  you  to  impose  upon  a  long-suffering  public." 


June  16,  1916. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  is  desirous  of  having 
adequately  celebrated  in  your  county  in  1918,  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  admission  of  Illinois  into  the  Federal  Union. 

To  this  end,  a  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  the  County 
Judge,  County  Clerk,  State's  Attorney,  County  Superintendent 


DOCUMENTS  411 

of  Schools  and  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  or 
County  Commissioners  of  each  county  has  been  constituted  by  the 
Commission  as  a  committee  authorized  to  issue  a  call  to  be  pub- 
lished in  all  the  papers  of  the  county  inviting  the  people  to  meet 
at  a  certain  convenient  time  and  place,  probably  the  court  house, 
to  form  a  County  Centennial  Association  to  prepare  for  the  proper 
celebration  of  the  Centennial  in  your  county.  A  copy  of  this 
letter  has  been  sent  to  each  of  the  above  mentioned  officials. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  call  for  the  public  meeting  in  your 
county  be  issued  during  June  or  the  first  half  of  July  of  this  year 
in  order  that  the  work  may  be  organized  before  the  summer  vaca- 
tion begins. 

Beginning  in  September,  active  work  of  all  your  committees 
should  commence.  It  is  not  too  early  to  begin  at  once,  for  the 
months  will  soon  slip  away.  The  responsibility  of  inaugurating 
a  movement  in  your  county  for  the  proper  celebration  of  this  great 
event  will  rest  upon  the  committee  of  five  county  officials  of 
which  you  are  one.  The  Centennial  Commission  feels  confident 
that  you  will  wish  to  see  your  county  observe  this  occasion  as  ap- 
propriately as  will  be  done  in  the  other  counties  of  the  State. 

The  celebration  of  the  Centennial  will  offer  a  most  excellent 
opportunity  to  stimulate  in  all  of  the  people  of  the  State  an  in- 
terest in  the  story  of  Illinois — its  history,  its  development,  its 
achievement,  and  its  future. 

The  Centennial  Commission  suggests  that  a  general  commit- 
tee be  formed  from  representatives  of  the  following  various  or- 
ganizations of  the  county  and  from  this  general  committee  an  ex- 
ecutive committee  may  be  constituted  to  have  charge  of  the  de- 
tailed work : 

The  executive  officers  of  cities,  villages  and  incorporated  towns 
in  the  county. 

All  civic,  commercial  and  agricultural  associations  and  boards. 

Historic,  patriotic  and  fraternal  societies,  including  women's 
organizations. 

Schools  and  colleges,  both  public  and  private. 

Churches  and  religious  organizations. 


412  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

The  Centennial  Commission  is  preparing  a  booklet  setting 
forth  the  general  plans  of  the  Commission  and  offering  some  defir 
nite  suggestions  for  the  local  celebrations  throughout  the  State. 
A  supply  of  these  booklets  will  be  sent  you  as  soon  as  they  are 
published. 

If  it  is  the  desire  of  the  County  Committee  when  your  pub- 
lic meeting  is  called  that  a  representative  of  the  Illinois  Centen- 
nial Commission  shall  be  present  and  deliver  an  address  setting 
forth  the  object  of  the  meeting,  you  may  obtain  such  a  one  with- 
out expense  to  you,  by  corresponding  with  the  Eev.  Eoyal  W. 
Ennis,  Chairman  State-wide  Celebration  Committee,  Hillsboro, 
Illinois. 

The  Centennial  Commission  requests  that  you  notify  it 
through  its  Secretary  as  to  the  date  upon  which  your  Committee 
has  called  its  first  general  meeting. 

Very  truly  yours, 

OTTO  L.  SCHMIDT, 

Chairman. 
JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER,, 

Secretary. 


DOCUMENTS  413 


HAIL,  ILLINOIS* 

BY  WALLACE  EICE 

By  the  Flag  that's  floating  o'er  us, 
By  our  fathers'  fame  before  us, 
Kalse  your  voices  in  the  chorus, 
Hail  Illinois. 

Chorus : 

Hail,  Illinois! 
Hail,  Illinois! 
Thine  the  story, 
God's  the  glory: 
Hail,  Illinois! 

By  the  mem'ries  that  attend  her: 
Grant,  the  Union's  bold  defender; 
Loyal  Douglas;  Lincoln's  splendor; 
Hail  Illinois. 

By  her  hundred  years  of-  honor — 
Who  in  all  the  world  outshone  her? 
Wreathed  like  laurel  bright  upon  her, 
Hail  Illinois. 

By  the  fields  her  sons  left  gory, 
Make  her  past  her  future  story, 
On  and  on  to  greater  glory 
Hail  Illinois. 


*  To  be  sung  to  the  old  air  of  "The  Little  Black  Bull."  Note  that  in 
the  stanzas  the  audience  is  being-  appealed  to  to  hail  Illinois,  and  in  the 
chorus  the  audience  is  hailing  her ;  in  other  words,  Illinois  is  in  the  third 
person  in  the  verse  part,  in  the  second  person  in  the  chorus. 


414  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

THE  CENTENNIAL  BANNER 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  asked  the  General  As- 
sembly to  authorize  for  the  Centennial  observance  the  use  of  a 
special  and  distinctive  banner  or  flag  to  be  used  to  advertise  the 
Centennial  and  for  other  publicity  purposes.  Several  designs  were 
submitted  to  the  Commission.  The  one  selected  was  that  of  Mr. 
Wallace  Rice,  pageant  writer  for  the  Commission.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful banner  which  lends  itself  remarkably  well  to  all  schemes  of 
decoration.  It  was  used  extensively  throughout  the  State  and  was 
a  marked  feature  of  all  the  Centennial  celebrations. 

It  is  described  in  the  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  authoriz- 
ing its  use  as  the  Centennial  banner  or  flag. 

The  banner  has  blue  and  white  stripes  as  described  in  the 
Act,  has  twenty-one  blue  stars  on  the  white  stripes  of  the  flag.  The 
State  of  Illinois  was  the  twenty-first  State  to  be  admitted  to  the 
American  Union.  The  ten  stars  in  the  upper  of  the  white  stripes 
represent  the  ten  northern  states  which  were  a  part  of  the  Union 
before  Illinois  was  admitted  and  the  ten  stars  on  the  lower  of  the 
white  stripes  represent  the  ten  southern  states  which  were  members 
of  the  American  Union  when  Illinois  became  a  State.  The  twenty- 
first  star  which  is  larger  in  size  represents  "Illinois",  the  twenty- 
first  State  to  become  a  part  of  the  American  Union  of  States,  the 
United  States  of  America. 

FLAGS 

ILLINOIS   CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION  OFFICIAL  STATE 
BANNER  OR  FLAG 

§   1.     Official  State  Banner  or  Flag  Au-       §   2.     Design, 
thorized. 

§  3.     Official  Centennial  Flag. 

(HOUSE  BILL,  No.   680.     Approved  June  25,  1917.) 

AN  ACT  Authorizing  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  to  have  an 

official  State  Banner  or  Flag. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, represented  in  the  General  Assembly:  That  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission  be  and  is  hereby  authorized  and  permitted  to 
have  and  to  use  a  State  banner  or  flag  commemorating  the  Cen- 


CENTENNIAL  BAXXKU 


DOCUMENTS  415 

tennial  anniversary  of  the  admission  of  the  State  of  Illinois  into  the 
Federal  Union,  subject  to  the  restrictions  provided  by  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  and  of  the  State  of  Illinois  as  to  the  United  States 
flag  or  ensign,  the  design  for  which  banner  or  flag  had  been  ap- 
proved by  said  Commission  and  is  as  herein  described. 

2.  Said  banner  or  pennant  shall  consist  of  three  horizontal 
stripes  in  proper  proportion  as  to  length  and  width,  the  upper  and 
the  lower  stripes  being  white  in  color  and  the  middle  stripe  nat- 
ional blue  in  color,  said  stripes  being  of  such  dimensions  that  they 
will  appear  of  equal  width.    At  the  staff  end  of  the  flag  or  emblem 
there  shall  be  ten  stars,  blue  in  color  in  the  upper  white  stripe, 
and  ten  stars,  blue  in  color  in  the  lower  white  stripe,  each  group 
of  said  ten  stars  being  arranged  in  four  rows  as  follows:     Four 
blue  stars  in  the  first  row  near  the  staff  end  of  the  flag  or  emblem, 
three  blue  stars  in  the  second  row,  two  blue  stars  in  the  third 
row,  and  one  blue  star  in  the  fourth  or  last  row,  in  such  a  manner 
that  four  of  said  blue  stars  in  each  white  stripe  shall  face  the  staff 
end  and  four  of  said  blue  stars  shall  also  face  the  middle  or  blue 
stripe.     In  the  center  blue  stripe,  near  the  staff  end  of  said  blue 
stripe,  and  in  a  proper  relative  position  between  the  two  star  fields 
on  the  two  white  stripes,  there  shall  be  one  single  white  star  of  a 
larger  size  than  the  stars  on  the  white  stripes  representing  Illinois, 
the  twenty-first  State  admitted  to  the  Union. 

3.  The  Illinois  Centennial  banner  or  flag  as  described  in  this 
Act  shall  be  the  official  Centennial  flag  or  pennant  used  in  the 
celebration  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  admission  of 
Illinois  into  the  Federal  Union. 

APPROVED  June  25,  1917. 


As  one  of  the  special  features  of  its  publicity  work,  the  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission  decided  to  offer  a  prize  for  a  design 
for  a  poster  which  would  in  this  form  suggest  the  great  history  of 
the  State,  during  its  first  Century  of  Statehood. 

The  Commission  hoped  that  a  design  might  be  secured  which 
would,  in  an  artistic  and  striking  way,  bring  before  the  people  the 


416  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

beginnings,  growth,  and  present  high  position  of  the  State  during 
the  Century  from  1818  to  1918. 

The  Committee  on  Publicity,  of  which  Eev.  Frederic  Sieden- 
burg  was  chairman,  arranged  for  a  competition  among  the  poster 
artists  of  the  United  States,  and  sent  out  letters  to  many  persons 
whom  it  was  supposed  might  be  interested,  and  advertisements  of 
the  contest  were  printed  in  art  magazines  and  periodicals,  and 
notices  of  it  posted  in  several  art  schools  and  institutes.  The 
response  was  quite  general  and  a  large  number  of  designs  were  sub- 
mitted, many  of  them  of  merit.  The  design  selected  as  deserving 
of  the  first  prize  by  the  committee,  Eev.  Frederic  Siedenburg, 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Publicity  of  the  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Mr.  Ealph  Clarkson,  the  noted  portrait  painter,  and  a 
member  of  the  State  Art  Commission,  and  Mr.  Martin  Eoche,  a 
distinguished  architect  also  a  member  of  the  State  Art  Commis- 
sion, was  that  submitted  by  Mr.  Willy  G.  Sesser  of  New  York,  and 
may  be  described  as  follows : 

A  Pioneer  with  flint-lock  musket.  Kneels  in  reverence  to  the 
United  States  Flag.  The  present  State  House  of  Illinois  is  in 
background  showing  the  progress  of  the  century.  Above  the  head 
of  the  pioneer  appear  the  dates  "1818-1918"  and  twenty  stars, 
representing  the  twenty  states  admitted  before  Illinois.  On  a  line 
below  in  the  center,  the  new  star,  Illinois,  appears.  Below  the 
figure  the  words — 

"Not  without  thy  wondrous  story 

Can  be  writ  the  Nation's  glory, 

ILLINOIS." 

The  background  of  the  poster  is  blue. 

Sixty-eight  designs  were  submitted.  These  designs  came  from 
all  parts  of  the  United  States.  Five  designs  were  accepted  and 
prizes  awarded. 

The  first  prize  design,  that  of  Mr.  Sesser  above  described,  re- 
produced in  its  original  colors  and  in  various  sizes,  was  used 
largely  in  advertising  the  Centennial  observances. 

Thousands  of  these  reproductions  were  distributed  throughout 
the  State. 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  POSTER 


DOCUMENTS  417 

The  five  original  posters  are  now  hanging  in  the  Illinois  State 
Historical  Library  at  Springfield. 

Copies  of  the  letters  sent  out  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Centen- 
nial Commission  in  relation  to  the  Poster  Contest  are  hereby 
given : 

PRELIMINARY  LETTER 

1818—1918 

ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS 

On  January 
Twelfth, 

Nineteen  Seventeen. 
DEAR  SIRS: 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  desires  to  call  your  at- 
tention to  a  competitive  contest  for  a  poster  design  to  commemo- 
rate the  One-hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  admission  of  Illinois 
into  the  Federal  Union  in  1918.  The  designs  must  be  of  one 
sheet,  i.  e.,  28"  x  42"  in  size. 

A  prize  of  one  hundred  dollars  shall  be  given  to  each  of  the 
best  five  designs  and  five  hundred  dollars  extra  to  the  best  of 
these. 

The  award  is  to  be  made  by  a  committee  of  three  selected  by 
the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  in  consultation  with  the  State 
Art  Commission. 

The  competition  is  open  to  all  and  the  Commission  reserves 
the  right  to  reject  all  designs.  Posters  are  to  be  submitted  to  the 
undersigned  not  later  than  April  15,  1917. 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER, 
Secretary  of  the  Commission. 


CONDITIONS  OF  THE  CONTEST 
ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  POSTER  CONTEST 

The  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  desires  a  poster  which 
will  symbolize  or  portray  the  growth  of  Illinois  from  a  pioneer 
—27  C  C 


418  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

State  at  the  time  of  its  admission  into  the  Union  in  1818  to  its 
present  proud  position  in  the  sisterhood  -of  states. 

The  Commission  wishes  the  artist  to  have  the  widest  range 
in  his  conception,  and  hence  imposes  no  limitations  upon  his  crea- 
tive skill. 

While  it  seems  unlikely  that  a  satisfactory  design  could  be 
conceived  which  does  not  contain  the  word  "Illinois"  and  the  dates 
1818  and  1918,  the  Commission  does  not  stipulate  that  these  shall 
appear  in  the  design. 

The  occasion  calls  for  a  poster  conveying  in  terms  of  idea, 
line  and  color,  some  suggestion  of  three  principal  ideas,  an  anni- 
versary, a  celebration,  and  Illinois.  The  ideal  design  would  con- 
vey an  unmistakable  and  forceful  impression  of  the  three  ideas. 

The  design  must  be  of  one  sheet,  i.  e.,  28"  x  42".  The  color 
scheme  is  not  to  exceed  four  color  process  work.  A  white  margin 
of  two  inches  in  width  all  around  is  suggested  but  is  not  stipu- 
lated. The  design  must  be  suitable  for  reproduction  in  sizes  from 
that  of  the  original  sheet,  i.  e.,  28"  x  42",  down  to  a  poster  stamp. 

A  prize  of  one  hundred  dollars  will  be  given  to  each  of  the 
best  five  designs  submitted,  and  five  hundred  dollars  additional 
will  be  given  the  best  one  of  the  five. 

The  award  is  to  be  made  by  a  committee  of  three  selected  by 
the  Illinois  Centennial  Commission  in  consultation  with  the  State 
Art  Commission. 

The  originals  for  the  designs  selected  as  the  best  five  and  for 
which  prizes  are  awarded,  become  the  property  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission. 

No  name,  word  or  mark  other  than  that  which  is  a  part  of  the 
design  may  appear  on  the  face  of  the  poster,  and  no  name,  word 
or  mark  may  appear  upon  the  border. 

All  originals  must  be  executed  in  accordance  with  these  rules. 

All  originals  must  be  carefully  packed  and  delivered  to  an 
express  office  or  postoffice,  with  all  charges  prepaid,  and  addressed 
to  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary,  Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion, Poster  Contest,  Springfield,  Illinois. 

Each  original  design  must  bear  on  the  back  an  identifying 
symbol  or  word.  This  identifying  symbol  or  word  must  be  re- 


DOCUMENTS  419 

peated  on  the  outside  of  a  sealed  envelope,  enclosed  with  its  cor- 
responding design.    This  sealed  envelope  shall  contain: 

1.  The  name  and  address  of  the  competitor. 

2.  Postage  sufficient  to  pay  the  return  charges  if  the  return 
of  the  design  is  desired. 

This  sealed  envelope  shall  not  be  opened  until  after  all  awards 
have  been  made. 

Upon  the  back  of  the  design,  the  only  name,  word  or  mark 
permitted  is  the  identifying  symbol  or  word.  It  being  understood 
that  the  artist's  name  or  address  may  not  appear  anywhere  except 
within  the  sealed  envelope.  Any  design  submitted  which  violates 
these  rules  will  in  justice  to  other  competitors  be  rejected. 

The  Commission  has  arranged  for  a  public  exhibition  of  the 
designs  in  the  rooms  of  the  Springfield  Art  Association,  and  other 
exhibitions  may  be  held.  For  the  purpose  of  these  exhibitions  and 
for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  the  Commission  requests  the  partici- 
pants to  use  a  heavy  weight  illustrating  board.  In  case  the  artist 
prefers  to  work  on  other  material,  it  is  suggested  that  he  have  the 
drawing  mounted  on  heavy  weight  board. 

To  avoid  warping  of  the  drawings,  all  contestants  are  re- 
quested to  have  the  drawing  board  backed  up  by  a  sheet  of  tough 
paper,  which  will  keep  the  design  submitted  entirely  flat. 

The  Commission  reserves  the  right  to  retain  all  the  originals 
entered  in  the  competition  until  a  date  not  later  than  January 
1,  1918. 

This  reservation  is  made  to  permit  the  widest  possible  ex- 
hibition of  the  designs. 

The  competition  is  open  to  all  and  the  Commission  reserves 
the  right  to  reject  all  designs. 

The  designs  submitted  in  competition  are  to  be  sent  to  the 
undersigned  not  later  than  April  15,  1917. 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER, 

Secretary,  Illinois  Centennial  Commission, 

Springfield,  Illinois. 


420  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


(  SUPPLEMENTARY  LETTER) 

In  the  rules  for  a  poster  contest  sent  out  by  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission  some  interested  persons  have  thought  that  the 
stipulation  as  to  color  scheme  is  not  clear. 

The  sentence  in  question  reads  as  follows :  "The  color  scheme 
is  limited  to  four  color  process  work/'  which  means  that  four  color 
process  work  is  the  maximum  of  colors  to  be  allowed.  It  would 
have  been  clearer  and  more  easily  understood  if  the  rule  for  the 
color  scheme  had  said,  "The  color  scheme  is  not  to  exceed  four 
color  process  work."  This,  of  course,  does  not  mean  that  a  design 
employing  fewer  colors  will  not  be  considered. 

The  Commission  has  been  informed  that  heavy  weight  illus- 
trating board  is  not  easily  obtained  in  the  size  stipulated  for  the 
design,  i.  e.,  28"  x  42".  The  Commission  therefore  suggests  that 
as  illustrating  board  may  be  obtained  of  a  size  30"  x  40",  which 
is  a  stock  size,  and  as  this  size  represents  the  same  actual  surface, 
it  is  allowed  and  suggested  that  a  sheet  of  this  latter  size  (30"  x 
40")  be  used. 

All  designs  must  be  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Commission. 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER, 

Secretary,  Illinois  Centennial  Commission, 

Springfield,  Illinois. 


PRIZES  AWARDED 

Springfield, 
Illinois, 
May  29,  1917. 
DEAR  SIR: 

I  beg  to  say  that  your  design  for  the  Illinois  Centennial 
Poster  was  received  and  placed  in  the  competition. 

The  jury  which  made  the  award  were:  Mr.  Martin  Roche, 
and  Mr.  Ralph  Clarkson,  both  members  of  the  Illinois  State  Art 
Commission,  and  Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission. 


DOCUMENTS  421 

The  prizes  were  awarded  as  follows :  first,  Mr.  Willy  G.  Sesser, 
83  West  Forty-second  Street,  New  York  City;  second,  Mr.  E. 
Fairweather  Babcock,  1320  Eepublic  Building,  Chicago,  Illinois; 
third,  Mr.  John  A.  Bazant,  991  Jackson  Avenue,  Bronx,  New 
York;  fourth,  Miss  Hazel  Brown,  Chicago  Academy  Fine  Arts,  81 
East  Madison  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois;  fifth,  Mr.  Charles  Eyan, 
Chicago  Academy  Fine  Arts,  81  East  Madison  Street,  Chicago, 
Illinois. 

There  were  sixty-eight  designs  submitted.  The  designs  were 
exhibited  at  the  Springfield  Art  Association  until  May  14,  1917, 
and  are  now  on  exhibition  in  the  Department  of  Art  and  Design 
at  the  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana. 

You  will  no  doubt  recall  that  the  Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion in  the  rules  for  the  poster  competition  reserved  the  right  to 
retain  all  designs  until  January  1,  1918,  for  exhibition  purposes. 
Very  truly  yours, 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER, 
Secretary,  Illinois  Centennial  Commission. 


PEOGEAM 
THE  MASQUE  OF  ILLINOIS 

PRESENTED  BY 

THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

August  Twenty-sixth 

Nineteen  Hundred  and  Eighteen 

Eight-Fifteen  P.  M. 

Coliseum 

Illinois  State  Fair  Grounds 
Springfield 

THE  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman,  Chicago 
Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary,  Springfield 
Edward  Bowe,  Jacksonville  Edmund  J.  James,  Urbana 

John  J.  Brown,  Vandalia  George  Pasfield,  Jr.,  Springfield 


422  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

John  W.  Bunn,  Springfield  William  N.  Pelouze,  Chicago 

William  Butterworth,  Moline  A.  J.  Poorman,  Jr.,  Fairfield 

Leon  A.  Colp,  Marion  Thomas  F.  Scully,  Chicago 

Rev.  R.  W.  Ennis,  Mason  City          Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  Chicago 
E.  B.  Greene,  Urbana 

Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Director,  Springfield 
Horace  H.  Bancroft,  Asst.  Director,  Jacksonville 
Halbert  O.  Crews,  Manager  Publicity,  Springfield 

Sangamon  County 
Centennial  Celebration  Committee 

C.  L.  Conkling,  Chairman 
Wm.  H.  Conkling,  Secretary 

Executive  Committee 

Mrs.  V.  Y.  Dallman  R.  C.  Lanphier 

James  M.  Graham  Mrs.  George  T.  Palmer 

Logan  Hay  J.  Frank  Prather 

General  Committee 

R.  C.  Lanphier  Mrs.  George  T.  Palmer 

Dr.  C.  A.  Frazee  Miss  Elberta  Smith 

Ira  B.  Blackstock  J.   F.   Macpherson 

Major  Bluford  Wilson  Harry  W.  Nickey 

Logan  Hay  Harlington  Wood 

Chas.  T.  Baumann  H.  O.  McGrue 

Prof.  I.  M.  Allen  Mrs.  Burton  M.  Reid 

George  Pasfield,  Jr.  H.  A.  Dirksen 

R.  E.  Woodmansee  Col.  R.  J.  Shand 

A.  D.  Stevens  Hugh  S.  Magill 

Mrs.  Porter  Paddock  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber 

Cast  Committee 

Mrs.  P.  B.  Warren,  Chairman          Mrs.  V.  Y.  Dallman,  Vice  Chairman 

Miss  Theresa  G.  Gorman,  Secretary 
R.  Albert  Guest  I.  M.  Allen 

Costume  Committee 
Mrs.  Robert  C.  Lanphier  Mrs.  Logan  Hay 

Program  Committee 
Robert  W.  Troxell 


DOCUMENTS  423 

"THE  MASQUE  OF  ILLINOIS" 

WALLACE  RICE,  Author 
Music  by  EDWARD  C.  MOORE 

PRODUCED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF 

FREDERICK  BRUEGGER,  Pageant  Master 

ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

MUSICAL  DIRECTOR 
MRS.  FREDERICK  BRUEGGER 

ART   DIRECTOR 
MR.  RUSSELL  ABDILL 

Dances  Arranged  by  Director  of  Dances 

MRS.  HAZEL  H.  MOORE  MISS  LUCY  BATES 

ARGUMENT 


PAST  I. 

"The  Masque  of  Illinois"  is  an  attempt  to  interpret  symbolically 
the  245  years  (1673-1918)  of  the  history  of  the  Illinois  Country.  It  is, 
therefore,  itself  a  closely  written  synopsis,  no  event  having  influence 
upon  the  development  of  the  State  being  omitted. 

Illinois  is  first  shown  surrounded  by  her  Prairies,  Rivers,  Forests, 
and  Flowers,  which  may  be  taken  as  standing  for  our  natural  resources. 
Upon  this  primitive  and  idyllic  peace  Fear  intrudes,  followed  by  a  band 
of  Indians,  who  dance  a  war  and  squaw  dance.  They  are  frightened 
away  by  the  coming  of  the  French  (1673).  Joliet,  LaSalle,  and  Tonty 
are  shown  as  symbolizing  certain  of  the  gifts  the  French  brought  to  us, 
religion  being  indicated  by  the  procession  following  of  the  first  mission- 
aries with  their  Indian  converts,  and  gayety  by  the  dance,  interrupted 
by  the  coming  of  the  British  (1765),  who  fly  their  flag  in  the  place  of 
the  French  lilies,  and  bring  in  their  train  Tyranny,  for  an  irresponsible 
military  government,  and  Hate,  from  having  armed  the  Indians  against 
the  settlers.  The  British  are  routed  in  turn  by  the  Virginian  frontiers- 
men (1778),  in  alliance  with  France.  They  sing  "The  Virginian  Song," 
and  introduce  Virginia,  our  first  American  ruler,  who  calls  in  Columbia, 
in  reference  to  the  cession  of  the  Illinois  Country  to  the  Nation  (1787). 
With  Columbia  come  Liberty,  Love,  and  Justice,  for  whom  a  hymn  is 
sung,  and  the  first  scene  concludes  with  the  placing  of  the  crown  of 
statehood  upon  the  brow  of  Illinois,  the  company  singing  "Fair  Illinois." 


424  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

ILLINOIS  STATEHOOD 
PART  II. 

The  Centennial  hymn,  "Our  Illinois,"  is  sung  at  the  opening  of  the 
second  scene.  Illinois  reappears,  resisting  the  advances  of  Slavery 
(1823).  Lafayette's  visit  (1825)  is  portrayed. 

The  Blackhawk  War  (1832)  is  shown  by  another  war  dance,  fol- 
lowed by  the  exile  from  the  State  of  the  Indians  (1833).  The  building 
of  canals  and  railways  is  symbolized  by  the  Rivers  and  Forests. 
Illinois  rejects  the  bribe  of  Repudiation  (1842-4),  and  of  Polygamy, 
with  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  (1846).  In  a  vision  Illinois  com- 
memorates the  gallantry  of  our  soldiers  in  the  Mexican  War  (1846-7). 
The  Illinois  Colleges  founded  before  1861  celebrate  themselves  in  a 
march.  Illinois  mourns  with  pride  the  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War 
(1861-5),  with  an  Alleluia  for  all  who  die  in  freedom's  cause.  The 
Chicago  Fire  (1871)  is  indicated,  and  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion (1893)  follows  with  a  procession  of  the  Nations.  Following  this 
comes  Belgium  in  the  grip  of  Tyranny,  France  with  Fear,  and  England 
with  Hate,  this  episode  concluding  when  the  three  Evil  Brethren  carry 
Belgium  forcibly  away.  Columbia  re-enters,  with  Love,  Liberty,  and 
Justice,  to  whom  the  nations  kneel.  Columbia  declares  war,  our 
soldiers  and  sailors  enter.  Illinois  prays  for  victory.  All  sing  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner,  and  the  Masque  is  done. 

PRINCIPALS  FOR  "MASQUE  OF  ILLINOIS" 

(In  order  of  appearance) 
Trumpeter  ...............  Mildred  M.  Shand 

Trumpeter  ....................  Ida  E.  Shand 

Prologue  .........  General  Frank  S.  Dickson 

Illinois  ...................  Florence   Lowden 

Fear  .....................  Elmer  E.  Bradley  The 

Indian  Chief  ..................  Burke  Vancil 

French  Officer  ..................  C.  J.  Doyle  Illinois 

Joliet  ................  Paul   S.   Kingsbury 

Com  pan  11 
LaSalle  ......................  Harry  Luehrs 

Tonty  ...........................  J.  R.  Leib 

Marquette  ...................  Hugh    Graham  Trees 

Hennepin  ...................  Edmund    Burke      Marie  E    Fariow 

Membre  ......................  Paul   Burns      ^oretta  Downey 

Katherme  N.   Hartmann 
Ribourde  ......................  T.  J.  Condon      Marie  Fitch 

1673  Maiden  ..............  Eleanor  Robinson 


British  Officer.  .  .  .  .  Harry  Smith       Kathleen  I.  Gallagher 

Mary    C.    Jepson 
Tyranny  ................  George  W.   Kenney      Helen  M.  Rogers 

Hate...  ..Charles    Hudson       Genevieve  E.  Griffin 


DOCUMENTS 


425 


British  Soldier T.  J.  Sullivan 

Frontiersman W.  F.  Workman  Flowers 

Virginia Elizabeth  B.  Metcalf 

Columbia Christine   Brown  Katherin/lT  McGinley 

Liberty Elizabeth  Keayg  SesRumai®aigh 

Justice Mary   Douglas  Hay  Genevieve  Tolan 

Love Edith  Carroll  ffiSgSPSffiL 

Crown  Bearer Mary  Jane  Meredith  Margaret  £•  Yoggerst 

Marie  T.   Hallman 

First  Page Lorna  Doone  Williamson  Katherine  Morris 

Second  Page Virginia  Dare  Williamson  He{eT£oo£iedmeyer 

1823  Maiden Delia  Kikendall 

Slavery Henry  Lyman  Child 

Lafayette Herbert  W.  George  Rivers 

Indian  Chief's  Daughter. .  .Mrs.  Barr  Brown  Anna  H.  Foutch 

Repudiation...  ..Hugh  Graham  Dorothy  M.  Osborne 

Edith   B.    Edwards 

1840  Maiden Helen  Griffiths  Mary  A.   England 

Polygamy H.  M.  Solenberger  ^n£a\.M$$£* 

1861  Maiden Louise  Hickox  M.   Frances   Barnes 

_  Marie  I.    Schou 

Fire  Dance Lucy  Bates  Margery   LaRose 

1871  Maiden Gladys  Troxell  Helen  Chandler 

Chicago Mrs.   John  Prince 

1893  Maiden Charlotte  Pasfield  Prairies 

One  in  Black Mrs.  H.  L.  Patton 

Belgium Mrs.  John  W.  Black  jj^e's    ottonhlg 

France Mrs.  Wm.  L.  Patton  Ella  B.  keely 

T,      ,       ,  ,,  Margaret   A.    Keely 

England Mary    Colgan  Jane  Fixmer 

Scotland Mrs.   Beralla   Southwick  £}ice.  Por0ma"  , 

Virginia  S.   Osborne 

Ireland LeReine    McGowan  Anna  Shaughnessy 

Canada Mary    Shaftid  Marie  Casey 

1914  Maiden Hildred  Hatcher 

Red  Cross Muriel  Stratham 

Illinois  Groups  Boy  Scouts 
FRED  HAHN,  Scout  Master 


Charles    Grahm 
Charles    Birdges 
Marshal  McNeer 
Allen   Bergman 
Frank  Stowars 


Burke  Vancil 
Fred    Brooks 
Edwin  A.  Coe 
E.    W.   Wright 
V.  A.  Campbell 
Warren    Lewis 
Dr.  Scott  Walters 
H.  D.  Agee 
E.   M.   Shanklin 


Harold    Actom 
Lorence   Kunz 
Frank  Grebe 
John    Greleski 
Slanty  Wise 

Indian  Braves 

C.  R.    Constant 

D.  T.    Queen 
J.   A.    Morton 
Ollie   Addleman 
Dare   I.    Martin 
Geo.    Hamilton 
B.    B.    Nuckels 
Arthur   Bridge 


Dwight   Trumbell 
Richard    New 
Stuart   Refler 
Will   News 
Robert    Scarf 


J.   F.    Connelly 
Paul    Harmes 
Fred    Harmes 
Sam    Christopher 
W.  A.  Lester 
Harry   Converse 
Samuel    Eckel 
Albert   C.    Converse 


426 


Hattie  Nelson 
Jeannette   Rowan 
Ethel    Thompson 
Bessie    Cratton 


Harry  W.  Nickey 
A.   F.  Shepherd 
L.   C.  Canham 
Dr.  A.  W.   Barker 


Geo.    Edward   Coe 
Geo.    French 
Stanley  Myers 
Billy   Meteer 
Hugh    Graham 
James   Graham 
Billy  Lou  Jayne 
Sim   Fernandes 
Leon    Lambert 
Daniel  O'Connell 
James   Edw.    Mueller 
Maurice    Holahan 
Street  Dickerman 
James  Jones 
Bob    Patton 
Chas.  Lanphier 


Indian  Maidens 

Lillibelle   Troth 
Gertrude   Hall 
Ellen   Broaddus 
Ida    Johnson 

French  Soldiers 

Wm.    Diefenthaler 
J.    M.    Pollard 
Bud   Barber 


Children  of  Illinois 

Chas.    Dawson 
Halbert  Crews 
Marshall    Myers 
Nona   Walgren 
Helen  Bair 
Ruth  Myers 
Elizabeth   French 
Mercedes  Mueller 
Mary    Meredith 
Mary   Linn    Culp 
Esther  McAnulty 
Mary  Jane  Hatcher 
Betty  Dallman 
Mary  Ann  Burnett 
Alice   Burke 
Martha    McCann 

Virginia  Reel 


Lucille  Montgomery 
Alice    McCune 
Ethel   McCune 
Lucille  Finn 


William    J.    Aurelius 
Harry  Watson 
Rice  J.   Moore 


Mary   Graham 
Eleanor   Ballou 
Louise   McCarthy 
Margaret   E.    Jayne 
Catherine   Graham 
Clara    Graham 
Catherine   Murphy 
Elizabeth    Murphy 
Loretta  Bea 
Lorene  McGrath 
Virginia  S-   Osborne 
Mary   Evans 
Ninna  Staley 
Helen   Fogarty 
Nancy    Jane    Mackie 
Mary  Fogarty 


Soloists 
Miss  GEORGIA  L.  OSBORNE,  and  MR.  R.  A.  GUEST 


The  Dancers 
Spirit  of  Fire — LUCY  BATES 


Edward  S.  Boyd  William  D.   McKinney 

Gerald  Edwin  Margrave  G.   C.   Rockwell 

W.   R.  Flint  George    Cresse 

O.   G.  Miller  Master  Raymond  L. 

A.   C.   Margrave  Boyd 

Harry    J.    Haynes  Mrs.  W.  R.   Flint 

E.    B.   Harris  Mrs.   O.   G.   Miller 

William  L.   Blucke  Mrs.  A.  C.  Margrave 


Martha    Bliss 
Jeanette    Salzenstein 


Fire  Sprites 


Bettie    Gullett 
Phoebe   Coe 


Mrs.  Harry  J.    Haynes 

Mrs.  George   Cresse 
Mrs.  William  D.  McKinney 

Mrs.  G.    C.    Rockwell 

Mrs.  George    W.    Kenney 

Mrs.  E.   C.   Haas 

Miss  Elva   Boyd 

Miss  Margaret   M.    Reid 


Katherine   Murray 
Rose  Alice   Coe 


Mary   Stuart 
Dorothy  Bair 
Lucille    Perry 
Dorothy    Dickson 


Water  Sprites 

Frances    Corson 
Dorothy   Sullivan 
Jeannette   Smith 


Margaret  Howey 
Katherine  White 
Dorothy  Coe 


MOURNERS  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR 
ISAAC   GUEST,   Soloist 


DOCUMENTS 


427 


Guard  of  Honor,  Members  Stephenson  Post  No.  30,  G.  A.  R. 

H.   H.   BIGGS,   Commander 
R.   H.    CORSON,    Vice-Commander 


R.   W.   Ewing 

H.    B.    Davidson 

J.  S.  Felter 

B.   P.   Bartlett 

Chas.   Schuppel 

John    Dilks 

J.    B.    Inman 

W.  H.   Sammons 

John  Fagan 

Wash   Irwin 

Chas.    Sammons 

J.   M.   Stevenson 

J.   S.  Thompson 

Chas.   Elkin 

Thomas  Wright 

B.   S.    Johnson 

M.    Cotton 

W.  H.  Newlin 

W.  F.  McCoy 

I.   Guest 

French  Woodrunners 

George  A.   Fish 

Ted   Weites 

J.   S.   Crugar 

Samuel   Barker 

O.  F.  Davenport 

L.  J.  Wylie 

James  Riley 

J.  E.  Schwarzott 

M,   B.   Hoagland 

A.   D.    Burbank 

French  Company 

Lee  Day 

Jean   Seip 

Alice    Warren 

Topsy    Smith 

Margaret    Potter 

Martha    Wiggins 

Doris  Babcock 

Caroline  Dorwin 

Claribel    Baker 

Dorothy  Johnston 

Frances  Easley 

Anna   Armstrong 

Jennie  Barnes 

Mary  McRoberts 

Converse   Staley 

Marian    Abies 

Marian    Matheny 

Robert  Risse 

Leonora  Patton 

Frances    Fetzer 

Herman    Helmle 

Alice  Hay 

Dorothy    Runyan 

Joe  Lynd 

Vexilla  Regis  Chorus 

Under  the 

direction  of  Miss  BESSIE 

HANRATTT 

Mrs.    J.    W.    Hington 

Margaret  Mulcahy 

Ruth  True 

Mrs.    Cummings 

Marie  Koenig 

Grace   Morgan 

Mrs.    Laura    Nichols 

Louise  M.  Desch 

Helen    Gafflgan 

Mrs.  Helen  Wimberg 

Mrs.  Viola  E.  Holliday 

Margaret   McGurk 

Mrs.    Oliver   Davenport 

Mary  Delmore 

Mrs.  John  Kohlbecker 

Mrs.    Brownback 

Katherine   Luby 

Mrs.   Jerry  Sexton 

Mrs.   Marie  Powell 

Nelle    Markey 

Miss  Theresa  Wochner 

Sue    Boyle 

Augusta  Fajaey 

Mrs.   Walter  Ryan 

Mary  Barry 

Marie   Stratham 

Thos  Reynolds 

Ollie    Kennedy 

Margaret   Dolan 

Thos.   Yoggerst 

Anna    Hogan 

Mrs.   Theresa  O'Reilly 

John    Boyle 

Anna   Nally 

Angela  Fisher 

Henry    Hickey 

Bertha  Swan 

Agnes  Mischler 

Wm.  J.   Fogarty 

Jessie   Smith 

Mary  Shaughnessy 

Jas.  Murphy 

Gertrude    White 

Kathryn   Burke 

Gus  Link 

Josephine    Yoggerst 

Mary    Butterly 

John  Kuhlman 

Mrs.   W.   D  Stewart 

Mrs.  J.  Murphy 

Ed.    Dolan 

Theresa   Eglin 

Alica  Lawler 

C.  N.  Groesch 

Loraine    Eglin 

Jane  Young 

Jacob   Layendecker 

Mrs.   Emma  Jones 

Emma   Groesch 

Earl   Kane 

Mrs.    Alma   Bermister 

Christine    Layendecker 

J.    B.    Bird 

Mrs.    Mae    Higgins 

Catherine   Gorman 

John  Fix 

Mrs.    Nettie    Ramey 

Margaret  Dolan 

Chas.   Metzger 

Mary   Buoy 

Edna   Groesch 

Sigmund  Rechner 

Emily    Buoy 

Margaret    Nollen 

H.   Rabenstein 

Margaret  Buoy 

Gertrude   Staab 

Will  Foster 

Theresa  Reynolds 

Irene  Foster 

Jas.  Knox 

Bessie  Higgins 

Nelle   Gafflgan 

Isabella  Fogarty 

Elizabeth   Donelan 

Margaret   Gafflgan 

Margaret  Ryan 

Marie  Mulcahy 

Mary  Gafflgan 

Margaret   Laurer 

Mrs.    Kate    Pfund 

Statia  Doyle 

Marie  Eglin 

Mrs.    Mamie    Stevens 

None   O'Donnell 

May  Doyle 

Mary  Agnes  Doyle 

Elizabeth  O'Brien 

Anna    Lawless 

Katharine  Quinn 

Margaret    O'Brien 

Lucy  Kelly 

Rose  Farral 

Cecil   True 

Katharine   Kelly 

Nan    Doyle 

428 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


Harry  L.  Smith 
Edward    F.    Irwin 
E.   L.   Haas 
G.    E.   Dobson 


British  Soldiers 

Geo.  D.  Parkin 
D.   M.    Tilson 
Arthur   Lehne 
C.  A.  Gauker 


C.  W.   Vail 
Fred   C.    Kincaid 
Walter  Bachelder 


Harry  C.   Page 
J.   F   Baker 
George  J.  Tunney 
S.   E.  Moore 
A.   D.   Fash 
C.  H.  Pickett 
Lee    Kincaid 


Dr.    John   A.    Wheeler 
George  H.   Faxon 
Edward    Anderson 
C.  H.   Jenkins 
A.  B.  Simonson 
Sam  Metcalf 
Leigh   Call 


Bordermen 

J.  A.   Bryden 
Miles   A.    Leach 
R.  E.  James 
Will  L.   Connor 
W.  B.  Jose 
Frank  T.   Keisecker 
W.  S.  Kurd 

Continental  Soldiers 

Chas.   T.    Bisch 
Russell   James 
H.  A.  McElvain 
A.    R.   Abels 
Ray  Christopher 
A.  A.  Hart 
F,  A.  Land 


Carl  Congdon 
Barney  Oldfleld 
E.    L.    Mayhew 
Griffith    George 
A.    L.    Whittenberg 
Clarence    Jones 


F.   O.   Lorton 
W.  D.  Mottar 
Wallie  Fleming 
J.   M.   Tucker 
C.    C.    Bradley 
Chas.    Price 


ILLINOIS  COLLEGES  FOUNDED  PREVIOUS  TO  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

Illinois 

McKendree 

Shurtleff 

Monticello 

Knox 

Lombard 

Rockford 

Illinois  Woman's   College 

Blackburn 

Hedding 

Eureka 


Wheaton 

Northwestern 

Augustana 

Chaddock 

Concordia 

Northwestern   University 

Monmouth 

Lake  Forest 

Wesleyan 

Chicago  University 

State  Normal 


THE  COLLEGE  GROUP  TRINITY  CHORUS  CHOIR 


Officers  of  Chorus 

R.  SCHOKNKCHT  Director  F.  DIESING,  Accompanist 

A.  MAURER,  Treasurer 

Assistants  to  Treasurer — FRANK   GROTH,  Louis   KOOPMAN,  ANNA  DURHEIM, 
MARGARET  BEHRENS 


Dorothy    Adams 
Nellie   Baker 
Selma   Behrens 
Elizabeth    Bettinghaus 
Anna  Busch 
Minnie  Durheim 
Clara   Engelder 
Carrie   Feuerbacher 
Margaret    Goering 
Charlotte    Friedmeyer 
Catherine  Friedmeyer 
Charlotte    Herzer 
Alme    Koopman 
Lucy   Lauterbach 
Helen  Link 
Edna   Link 
Hilda  Libka 


Members 

Sopranos 
Martha    Maurer 
Ethel    Melcher 
Helen   Meyer 
Johannah  Ostermeier 
Marie  Profrock 
Minnie   Reiss 
Louise  Reiss 
Edna  Richards 
Elizabeth  Richards 
Elsie    Roberts 
Anna  Ruschke 
Anna  Pisivoske 
Marie    Sack 
Lydia    Sieving 
Tena    Sommer 
Margaret    Sommer 
Margaret    Spitznagle 


Ruth    Streckfuss 
Elizabeth    Sturm 
Katherine  Sturm 
Alma   Sturm 
Lillie    Tarr 
Delphine    Thiele 
Julia  Vogt 

Katherine   Van   Horn 
Dorothy   Van    Horn 
Marie    Zoellner 
Marie  Westerman 
Gladys    Ostermeier 
Anna    Durheim 
Louise    Hoffman 
Margaret  Herzer 
Florence    Lauterbach 
Hedwig   Streckfus 


DOCUMENTS 


429 


Alice   Baker 
Hildegard   Behrens 
Margaret    Behrens 
Ruth    Biedermann 
Anna    Brand 
Hilda  Brand 
Caroline  Bretcher 


Herman    Sack 
Cecil   Ostermeier 
Fred  Gaede 
Robert    Gaudlitz 
Louis  Groth 


George    Bettinghaus 
Leo  Brown 
Gus  Bretcher 
O.  H.  Bade 


Altos 

Hilda  Brodhagen 
Mayme    Grannemann 
Olga  Groth 
Gola  Goebel 
Alma    Hoffman 
Bertha  Ostermeier 
Charlotte   Ostermeier 

Tenors 

Louis    Koopman 
Fred  Schmidt 
T.   Steinke 
Edward  Tarr 
Walter   Meyer 

Basses 

Albert    Durheim 
Frank  Groth 
William    Profrock 
Wm.  H.  Schnepp 


Minnie  O.  Durheim 
Gustave    Pahnke 
Anna   Sajck 
Julia   Siebert 
Hilma  Voile 
Minnie   Yaeck 
Kenneth   Schnepp 


Fred   Ostermeier 
Wilbur   Fargo 
Godfrey    Adams 
Walter   Balzerick 
Carl    Malinske 


Robert  C.  Runge 
Adolph   Maurer 
Carl  Ostermeier 
E.   Klingbell 


ILLINOIS  RESERVE  MILITIA 

Major — FRANK  R.   SIMMONS,   1st  Battalion,    5th  Regiment 
Co.   D,    5th   Regiment 

Captain B.    F.     Bliss 

1st   Lieutenant Wm.    H.    McLain 

2nd    Lieutenant , Harry    E.    Stout 

65  Members 

Major — HAL  M.   SMITH,  1st  Battalion,   7th  Regiment 
Co.  A,  7th  Regiment 

Captain Evans    E.     Cantrall 

1st  Lieutenant James  A.  Jones 

2d  Lieutenant Robert  W.  Troxell 

65  Members 

Company  B,   7th  Regiment 

Captain Lauren    W.    Coe 

1st    Lieutenant Jesse    K.    Peyton 

2nd   Lieutenant Henry    L.    Patton 

65  Members 


J.   D.   Shaffer 
Henry  Offer 
L.  L.    Bacchus 
Dr.   E.    S.   Spindel 


Henry  R.  Marshall 
Robert    Curry 
Thomas    English 
Alexander  Miller 


Thomas   Strong 
J.   H.   Ferreira 
Walter  Stehman 
Romie   Fields 


Harry  J.   Thornton 
W.  A.  J.  Hay 
M.   D.   Morris 
Chas.    J.    Peterson 


France 

W.   Sidney  Grundy 
G.  H.   Thoma 
G.   W.    Solomon 
E.  G.  George 

Scotland 

Geo.   D.   Meredith 
Martin   Bolt 
John   Marland 


Ireland 

T.   Turley 

Mrs.   Rosetta  Ferreira 

Sophia    Stehman 


Greece 

J.   B.  Hudson 
Dr.  S.  D.  Zaph 
Dr.    G.   E.   Maxwell 


Curtis   E.   Lawrence 
Dr.   A.   N.   Owens 
G.  V.  Helmle 


W.  H.  Bruce 
Fred    Wanless 
Walter  J.   Horn 


Mrs.  Hudson 
Miss  Darrah 
Edward  Smith 


R.   F.    Bear 
R.    O.    Augur 
Fred   Gulick 


430 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


W.   H.    Conkling 
P.    M.    Legg 
L.  F.  Mansfield 
Basil   W.    Ogg 


Louis  M.  Myers 
W.  B.  Robinson 
W.  O.  Homberg 
T.  C.  Smith 


Curtis  H.  Rottger 
Harry  Johnson 
James   H.   McMillon 
P.   R.   Atwood 


Wm.    B.    Chittenden 
L.  J.  Pulliam 
W.   F.   Castleman 
Clayton   Barber 


Wm.  M.   Jageman 
T.   M.   Bradford 
Chas.    Springer 
A.  E.  Miller 
F.  L.  Everett 


Belgium 

G.  P.  Kircher 
Henry  L.  Smith 
Rev.  E.  M.  Antrim 


Honduras 

Norman  Reinboth 
Dr.  A.   Banks 
John  L.   Scott 


Siam 

E.  B.  Shinn 
A.  J.  Parsons 
O.  S.  Morse 


Siberia 

R.  O.  Pishback 
F.  O.  Gulick 
Lester   Krick 


Cuba 

Chas.    G.    Briggle 
Ralph  Dickerson 
Mrs.  T.   M.   Bradford 
Mrs.    Chas.    Springer 
Mrs.   L.   C.   Canham 


H.   A.   Leidel 
Samuel  H.  Heidler 
John  Vose,  Jr. 


J.    B.    Crane 
Henry  Bengel 
Julius  Myers 


H.  C.  Henkes 
J.   H.   Raymond 
C.   R.   Beebe 


B.  W.   Heady 

Lester  Gott 

W.  R.   Schroeder 


Miss  Evelyn  Nelch 
Miss    Margaret    Jageman 
Miss   Helen  Jageman 
Miss   Edytha    Scharer 


Barney  Cohen 
Bert   Bean 
Amos  Sawyer 
Jno.  P.  Utt 


Panama 

Arthur  Neale 
Fred    Klump 
Dr.  Francis  W. 
Shepardson 


Elmer  Birks 
L.  W.  Shade 
Dr.  Robert  J.  Flentje 


Guatemala 


A.   H.    Bogardus 
E.  G.  Bogardus 
Justice  Mellon 
C.   A.   Washburn 


Roy  T.  Jefferson 
Norval   M.   Naylor 
J.  R.  Jones 
R.  E.   Corson 


Randolph  B.   Gaffney 
C.   C.   Roundtree 
A.   R.   Bidwell 
George  C.  Felter 


E.  B.  Harris 
Wm.  L.   Blucke 
Wm.  D.   McKinney 
G.   C.   Rockwell 


T.  E.  Park 
J.  A.  Miller 
C.  S.  Miller 


Haiti 

Edwin  Rees 
Grover  W.   Yoder 
Norman  L.   Owen 


Brazil 

Dr.  J.  M.  Shearl 
H.  W.  McDavid 
W.  H.  Perkins 


Servia 

Geo.   Cresse 
Mrs.    Geo.   Cresse 
Mrs.  Wm.  D.  McKinney 


C.  W.  Kessler 
Frank   Kavanaugh 
Frank  A.   Hall 


Albert  S.  Mitchell 
Dr.  J.  C.  Walters 
R.  D.  Sharen 


D.  B.  Cannon 
Bridge  Brooks 
Walter  Jones 


Mrs.   G.   C.   Rockwell 
Mrs.   Geo.   W.   Kenney 
Mrs.   E.   C.   Haas 


DOCUMENTS 


431 


Montenegro 

Edward  S.   Boyd  A.    C.    Margrave 

Master  Raymond  L.  Boyd  Harry  J.    Haynes 
Gerald  Edwin  Margrave      Mrs.  Elva  Boyd 
W.   R.   Flint  Miss  Margaret  M.  Reid 

O.  G.  Miller 


J.   M.   Picco 
Robert   Bunker 
Fred  Cassell 
M.  C.  Kline 


Louis  N.   Rolle 
Frank  Tomlin 
T.   L.   Muscat 
D.  H.  Brown 


Louis  Roberts 
Myer  Fishman 
Leo   Conn 
R.  C.  McLain 


Herman  J.  Rick 
Dr.   T.    J.   Kinnear 
Donald  McDougal 
C.   Monroe  Hill 


Dr.  A.  C.  Baxter 
James  M.   Gullett 
Benjamin   Bruce 
Timothy   E.    Britton 


Oscar   Ansell 
A.  W.   Chapman 
Thomas   Lawrence 
D.  O'Keefe 


Italy 

Ira  Busher 
J.    C.   Locher 
Chas.  A.  Keck 


San  Marino 

G.  A.  Coleman 
F.    C.    Stone 
H.  J.  Spurway 


Roumania 

N.   B.    Clark 
Norton  Barker 
Jno.    W.    Vorhees 


Portugal 

Dr.    Geo.    B.    Weakley 
Edward   P.    Kelly 
Dr.   C.   M.   Mulligan 


Japan 

H.  T.  Gulp 

H.  E.  Struble 

Miss   Gladys   Marland 


China 

H.   B.  Hill 

F.   R.   Dickerson 

A.  D.  Sawyer 


Mrs.  W.   R.    Flint 

Mrs.  O.   G.   Miller 

Mrs.  A.    C.    Margrave 

Mrs.  Harry  J.   Haynes 


W.  A.  Dorr 
Eugene  Linxweiler 
Paul   Dobson 


H.  H.  Clark 
J.  Maggentti 
George  Spengler 


J.  K  .Murdock 
Wm.    M.    Winders 
W.   T.  Fossett 


Harry  E.   Fletcher 
W.    P.    Weinold 
J.  A.  Foster 


Miss  LaVerne  Marland 
Miss    Luella    Payton 
Miss  Gladys1  Parsons 


S.  Fernandes 
Dr.  J.  A.  Day 
E.  F.  Armbruster 


John  A.  Hauberg's 
Rock  Island  Fife  and  Drum  Corps 

Color  Bearer William  Louis  Jayne 

Drummer Louis    DePron,    Jr. 

Stage  constructed  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Henry  Helmle,  architect. 
Costumes  designed  by  Mr.  Russell  Abdill  and  Miss  Lillian  Lidman. 
Costumes  executed  by  Miss  Lillian  Lidman  and  Schmidt  Costume  and  Wig 

Company. 

Assistant  Pageant  Master — Miss  Frances  Cook. 
Concert  Master — Mr.  John  L.  Taylor. 
Accompaniste-^— Mrs.  Ethel  A.  Bliss. 
Stage  Properties — Mr.  I.  Franklin  Kalb. 
Electric  Lighting — Mr.  Charles  A.  Meador. 

This  is  a  Souvenir  Program ;   Price  10   Cents.     Proceeds  for  Benefit  of 
American  Red  Cross  and  Salvation  Army. 


432  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

PEOGEAM 

THE  MASQUE  OF  ILLINOIS 

PRESENTED  BY 
THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

October  Fourth  and  Fifth 

Nineteen  Hundred  and  Eighteen 

Eight-Fifteen  P.  M. 

Coliseum 

Illinois  State  Fair  Grounds 
Springfield 

THE  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Otto  L.  Schmidt,  Chairman,  Chicago 
Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber,  Secretary,  Springfield 
Edward  Bowe,  Jacksonville  Edmund  J.  James,  Urbana 

John  J.  Brown,  Vandalia  George  Pasfield,  Jr.,  Springfield 

John  W.  Bunn,  Springfield  William  N.  Pelouze,  Chicago 

William  Butterworth,  Moline  A.  J.  Poorman,  Jr.,  Fairfield 

Leon  A.  Colp,  Marion  Thomas  F.  Scully,  Chicago 

Rev.  R.  W.  Ennis,  Mason  City          Rev.  Frederic  Siedenburg,  Chicago 
E.  B.  Greene,  Urbana 

Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  Director,  Springfield. 
Horace  H.  Bancroft,  Asst.  Director,  Jacksonville 
Halbert  O.  Crews,  Manager  Publicity,  Springfield 

Sangamon  County 
Centennial  Celebration  Committee 

C.  L.  Conkling,  Chairman 
Wm.  H.  Conkling,  Secretary 

Executive  Committee 

Mrs.  V.  Y.  Dallman  R.  C.  Lanphier 

James  M.  Graham  Mrs.  George  T.  Palmer 

Logan  Hay  J.  Frank  Prather 

General  Committee 

R.  C.  Lanphier  Mrs.  Geo.  T.  Palmer 

Dr.  C.  A.  Frazee  Miss  Elberta  Smith 

Ira  B.  Blackstock  J.  F.  Macpherson 


DOCUMENTS  433 

Major  Bluford  Wilson  Harry  W.  Nickey 

Logan  Hay  Harlington  Wood 

Chas.  T.  Baumann  H.  0.  McGrue 

Prof.  I.  M.  Allen  Mrs.  Burton  M.  Reid 

George  Pasfield,  Jr.  H.  A.  Dirksen 

R.  E.  Woodmansee  Col.  R.  J.  Shand 

A.  D.  Stevens  Hugh  S.  Magill 

Mrs.  Porter  Paddock  Mrs.  Jessie  Palmer  Weber 

Cast  Committee 
Mrs.  P.  B.  Warren,  Chairman          Mrs.  V.  Y.  Dallman,  Vice  Chairman 

Miss  Theresa  G.  Gorman,  Secretary 
R.  Albert  Guest  I.  M.  Allen 

Costume  Committee 
Mrs.  Robert  C.  Lanphier  Mrs.  Logan  Hay 

Program  Committee 
Robert  W.  Troxell 

"THE  MASQUE  OF  ILLINOIS" 

WALLACE  RICE,  Author 
Music  Written  and  Conducted  by  EDWARD  C.  MOORE 

PRODUCED  UNDER  THE   DIRECTION 

OP  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION, 

JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER,  CHAIRMAN 

PAGEANT  COMMITTEE 

FREDERICK  BRUEGGER,  Pageant  Master 
ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

MUSICAL  DIRECTOR 
MRS.  FREDERICK  BRUEGGER 

ART  DIRECTOR 
MR.  RUSSELL  ABDILL 

GRAND  MARSHAL  OP  GROUPS 
COL.  RICHINGS  J.  SHAND 

Dances  Arranged  by  Director  of  Dances 

MRS.  HAZEL  H.  MOORE  MISS  LUCY  BATES 

AEGUMENT 

EARLIER   ILLINOIS 

PART  I. 

"The  Masque  of  Illinois"  is  an  attempt,  believed  to  be  the  first  of 
its  kind  ever  made,  to  interpret  by  means  of  symbol  and  allegory  the 

—28  C  C 


434 

245  years  (1673-1918)  of  the  history  of  the  Illinois  Country.  It  is, 
therefore,  a  closely  written  synopsis  of  such  history,  no  event  having 
marked  influence  upon  the  development  of  the  State  and  its  people 
heing  omitted. 

Illinois  is  first  shown  surrounded  by  her  Prairies,  Rivers,  Forests, 
and  Flowers,  which  may  be  taken  as  standing  for  our  natural  re- 
sources. Upon  this  primitive  and  idyllic  peace  Fear  intrudes,  accom- 
panied by  a  band  of  Indians,  who  dance  War  and  Squaw  Dances.  They 
are  frightened  away  by  the  coming  of  the  French  (1673).  Joliet, 
La  Salle,  and  Tonty,  are  shown  as  symbolizing  certain  of  the  gifts  the 
French  brought  to  us;  religion,  the  most  valuable  of  these,  being  indi- 
cated by  the  procession  following  of  the  first  missionaries,  Fathers 
Marquette,  Hennepin,  Ribourde,  and  Membre,  with  their  Indian  con- 
verts, singing  the  "Vexilla  Regis"  to  the  old  monkish  air  actually  used 
in  that  day.  The  gayety  of  France  is  also  shown  in  a  little  dance, 
which  is  interrupted  by  the  coming  of  the  British  (1765),  who  fly  their 
old  flag  with  the  Crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew  in  the  place  of 
the  French  Lilies.  The  British  are  routed  in  turn  by  the  Virginia 
frontiersmen  (1778)  then  in  alliance  with  France. 

The  bordermen  sing  "The  Virginian  Song,"  contemporary  in  both 
words  and  music,  and  bring  in  the  Pioneer  Maidens  to  dance  the 
"Virginia  Reel"  with  them,  indicating  the  nature  of  our  first  American 
settlers,  bringing  with  them  Virginia  herself,  our  first  American  ruler, 
who  in  turn  introduces  America,  for  whom  "Hail  Columbia"  is  sung, 
in  reference  to  the  cession  of  the  Illinois  Country  to  the  Nation  (1787). 
She  drives  Fear,  Tyranny,  and  Hate  far  from  the  scene,  that  Love, 
Freedom,  and  Justice  may  take  up  their  abode  with  us.  With  these 
as  sponsors,  America  crowns  Illinois  with  the  crown  of  Statehood 
(1818),  and  the  scene  concludes  with  the  singing  of  "Fair  Illinois": 

Fair  Illinois  So  shall  we  stand 

Thine  every  joy  One  kindly  band 

Of  great  endeavor !  In  blest  communion 

Our  hearts  unite  Of  mind  and  soul 

In  bonds  of  light  Made  glad  and  whole 

With  thine  own  heart  forever  !  In  Freedom's  sacred  Union  ! 

ILLINOIS   STATEHOOD 

PAKT  II. 

The  Centennial  Hymn,  "Our  Illinois,"  is  sung  and  Illinois  is  shown 
once  more  at  the  beginning  of  her  independent  career  as  a  sovereign 
State  of  the  Union,  saying: 

The  beauty  of  youth  is  mine,  and  riches  more  than  gold ; 
My  stalwart  sons  and  daughters  shall  bring  me  wealth  untold ; 
Woodland  and  plain  are  mine  ;  but  better  than  loam  and  tree 
Stout  hearts  and  visioned  eyes  to  keep  my  people  free. 

A  maiden  comes  bringing  Slavery,  introduced  by  the  French  long 
before,  who  is  expelled,  standing  for  Governor  Coles'  successful  fight 


DOCUMENTS  435 

against  the  attempt  to  make  this  a  slave  State  (1823).  The  Dance  and 
Song  of  Illinois  Boys  and  Girls,  for  the  immigration  which  flocked 
hither  is  next,  and  the  welcoming  of  LaFayette,  who  was  received  at 
Kaskaskia  and  Shawneetown  (1825).  The  beginning  of  the  commercial 
mining  of  coal  and  the  breaking  plow  is  briefly  suggested  (1830),  and 
the  Blackhawk  War  (1832)  by  a  repetition  of  the  War  Dance  and 
Squaw  Dance,  followed  by  the  expulsion  of  the  Indians  from  our 
territory  (1833).  The  building  of  canals  and  railways  is  symbolized, 
before  Illinois  rejects  the  bribe  of  Repudiation  (1842-44),  and  of  Poly- 
gamy, first  proclaimed  by  Joseph  Smith  at  Nauvoo,  with  the  ensuing 
expulsion  of  the  Mormons  (1846).  In  a  vision  Illinois  commemorates 
the  gallantry  of  our  soldiers  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  the  Illinois 
Colleges  founded  before  1861  celebrate  themselves  and  the  spread  of 
education  in  the  State  in  the  preceding  decade.  Then  comes  the  Civil 
War,  the  panegyric  of  Illinois  being  interrupted  by  the  mourning  of 
the  Illinois  Company  for  its  heroic  dead,  broken  by  Illinois,  who  com- 
mands, in  what  is  perhaps  the  most  eloquent  passage  of  the  Masque, 
as  follows: 

My  noble  sons,  my  noble  slain,  I  mourn ; 

Mourn  with  me,  kneel  and  mourn  my  sons  a  while. 

Now  lift  your  heads  my  children,  seek  the  skies 

And  look  with  level  eyes  upon  the  sun. 

For  yours  the  deathless  voice  of  loyalty 

That  is  my  Douglas,  all  the  glory  lit 

But  my  indomitable  Grant  tender 

Of  heart  to  vanquished   brethren ;   aye,   and  yours 

And  mine  the  wistful  splendor  of  the  man 

Who  is  mankind  bound  up  in  one  strong  soul 

Compassionate  my  LINCOLN.     So  give  praise ! 

An  Alleluia  follows  for  those  who  yield  their  lives  in  Freedom's 
cause.  The  return  of  peace,  the  Chicago  Fire  (1871)  and  its  dance,  are 
followed  by  a  prologue  speaking  the  lapse  of  time.  The  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  (1893)  is  indicated  by  the  Hymn  of  the  Nations, 
foreshadowing  the  Great  War,  the  words  of  which  are: 

The  Nations  come  in  greeting  The  future  glooms  before  them — 

Upon  the  New  World's  birth  What  will  its  dark  days  bring? 

In  peace  and  happy  meeting  Shall  Freedom  hover  o'er  them, 

From  all  the  ends  of  earth ;  Or  crawl  they  to  a  king? 

They  come  by  joy  attended,  Some  put  their  trust  in  battle 

The  Nations  great  and  small,  In  armies  and  the  sword, 

The  Nations  weak  and  splendid:  Men  sent  to  death  like  cattle: 

Have  mercy  on  them  all !  Have  mercy  on  them,  Lord.' 

The  autocrat  and  tyrant 

The  Armored  hands  of  Might, 
Against  the  world  conspirant 

What  care  they  for  the  Right? 
Our  soldiers  and  our  seamen 

Some  day  shall  rise  as  men 
To  leave  a  world  of  Freemen : 

God  keep  and  guard  them  then ! 

And  the  curtain  falls. 


436  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

ILLINOIS  AND  WAR 
PART  III. 

The  scene  shows  the  throne  of  Illinois,  with  the  Altar  of  War  and 
Hope  embellished  with  the  insignia  of  the  great  American  War 
Charities,  upon  it  the  great  seven  Lights  of  Battle  ready  for  lighting. 
The  Illinois  Counties  come  in  singing  the  first  stanza  of  "America  and 
Right,"  followed  by  Illinois  herself,  perplexed  and  in  deep  trouble. 
She  sends  for  her  ancient  counsellors,  Justice,  Love,  and  Freedom,  who 
advise  her  at  last  to  resolve  her  doubts  regarding  the  war  that  is 
forcing  itself  upon  her  by  calling  back  from  her  past  the  soldiers  from 
her  previous  wars,  with  their  women.  In  obedience  the  six  Lights 
of  Battle  are  lighted,  and  the  old  glories  revived  in  the  persons  of  men 
and  women  from  (1)  the  Revolutionary  War,  (2)  the  War  of  1812, 
(3)  the  Blackhawk  War,  (4)  the  War  with  Mexico,  (5)  the  Civil  War, 
and  (6)  the  War  with  Spain.  Each  band  testifies  that  its  fighting  and 
self-sacrifice  led  to  greater  freedom  for  Illinois  and  for  the  world. 

To  the  throne  then  come  the  old  friends,  France,  our  first  ruler; 
Italy,  who  gave  us  Tonty,  the  first  white  settler  on  our  soil;  Belgium, 
who  sent  us  Father  Ribourde  from  Flanders,  our  protomartyr;  and 
Britain,  our  second  ruler.  Illinois  welcomes  them,  and  the  other 
Nations  on  the  side  of  Right  come  in  with  their  banners,  and  are 
sworn  to  make  an  end  of  war.  Illinois,  hesitant  no  longer,  herself 
lights  the  seventh  light.  At  the  last  the  slightly  adapted  chorus  of 
the  Greeks  before  Marathon  being  sung  in  translation  from  "The  Per- 
sians" of  ^Eschylus: 

Strike,  O  ye  sons  of  the  West  for  your  lives, 

Freemen  are  ye ! 
Strike  for  your  homes,  for  your  children  and  wives, 

Bend  not  the  knee ! 

Strike  for  your  God  and  the  shrines  He  has  blest ! 
Strike  for  your  graves  where  your  forefathers  rest 
Liberty  Victory  ride  from  the  West — 

Strike,  and  be  free ! 

With  the  singing  of  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner"  by  the  audience, 
the  Masque  is  ended. 

WALLACE  RICE,  Author. 


(In  order  of  appearance) 
Leader  of  the  Trumpeters ....  Charles  J.  Lorch  77, ,, 

Trumpeter Marion     Higgins 

Trumpeter. .' Katharine     Low 

Prologue General  Prank  S.   Dickson  Illinois 

Illinois Florence    Lowden 

Fear Elmer  E.  Bradley 

Indian    Chief...  ..Burke    Vancil 


437 


French   Officer C.   J.    Doyle  Trees 

Joliet Paul   S.    Kingsbury 

^elS       Marie   B.    Farlow 

^m 
me.paui  SS 

Ribourde . .  . .  T.    J.    Condon 

1673    Maiden Eleanor    Robinson 

British  Officer Harry  Smith 

Tyranny George   W.   Kenney  g™,  *£ 

wata  Pharlpq    Hudson  u-enevieve 

g ate  •••••••:•• cnpar  TS   ^nTvan  Elizabeth    Leeder 

British    Soldier i^.'T-     J-     Sullivan  Mare-aret    Driscoll 

Frontiersman W.    F.    Workman  Mvrtle  Whelan 

Virginia Louisa     Stericker  f^F,"®  /,;,ftan 

America Christine    Brown  £°ujff  f^L,, 

Liberty Frances    Gardner  frcell  Do  well 

Tuntir-o  Mr<?     T    R     Lpib  JUoulse    iseoee 

five0 . : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :M«;  aSki  SioSS   MaTflninHigTgins 

Crown   Bearer Mary   Jane   Meredith  Katnarm 

First  Page Lorna  Doone  Williamson 

Second   Page Virginia   Dare    Williamson  Flowers 

1823    Maiden Delia   Kikendall 

Slavery Henry    Lyman    Child  Id     I    Brown 

Lafayette Herbert    W.    Georg  pcathprinfi  T 

Indian  Chiefs  Daughter. . .  .Mrs.  Paul  L.  Starne  FHzaheth   Trr 

Repudiation Hugh    Graham  SoroSfv    E !     CVBrien 

1840  Maiden Mrs.  Dorothy  Dodds  Chisam  Margaret  S     Yo-eerst 

Polygamy H.    M.    Solenberger  Marfe  T    Halllnal 

1861  Maiden Louise  Hickox 

fire  Dance Lucy  Bates 

1871    Maiden Gladys    Troxell  Marie    Brusrkp 

Chicago Mrs.    John    Prince          niia  Gedman 

Herald Rev.    Lester    Leake    Riley  Margaret  McDonald 

Leader  of  Freedom Barney  Cohen  ^5  ^Hoean 

Red    Cross..... Muriel    Stratham  Martha  ScSn 

Acolyte Charlotte     Pasfleld  Marth a  Scrogm 

Acolyte Hildred    Hatcher 

The   Ranger J.    R.    Leib 

The    Pioneer Calvin    White 

Soldier  of  the  Mexican  War A.  D.  Mackle 

Soldier  of  the  Civil  War B.  C.  Bean  Jennie   B.    Otto 

Soldier  of  the  Spanish  War Burke  Vancil  Ella  B.   Keely 

France Mrs.    Wm.    L.    Patton  Jane  Fixmer 

Italy Ethel    Lynn    Ross  Virginia    S.    Osborne 

Belgium Mrs.    John    W.    Black  Anna  Shaughnessy 

Britannia Mary    Colgan  Marie  Casey 

England Mrs.    Arthur    Fitzgerald  Josephine   Gorman 

Scotland. .:.... Mrs.  Beralla  Southwick  Margaret    McGranoo 

Ireland Lo    Reine    McGowan  Rose  Thon 

Wales Helen     Fitch  Verna  Armstrong 

Canada Mary     Shafted  Doris    Deaton 

Australia Mrs.     Don    Deal  Marie   Wise 

South  Africa Mrs.   Henry  Child 

Newfoundland Susie    Harl  Rivers 

New  Zealand Mrs.   George   E.   Keys 

India Miss    Imogene    Smith 

Egypt Mrs.     Leigh    Call 

°™  In  Black Mrs-  H-  L-  patton 

OustrtPttp  Marie   I.    Schou 

Quartette  Ella  Chandler 

Helen  England 

Tenor R.     A.     Guest       Alice  Gorman 

Soprano Mrs.    Helen    Brown    Read       Mildred  Rodger 

Alto Mrs.    Grace   Fish    Partridge       Helen  Tilley 

Basso J.    B.    Barnaby       Francis    Schou 


438 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


Burke   Vancil 
Fred  Brooks 
Edwin  A.   Coe 
E.  W.  Wright 
V.  A.  Campbell 
Warren  Lewis 
Dr.  Scott  Walters 
H.    D.    Agee 
E.  M.   Shanklin 


Hattie  Nelson 
Jeannette  Rowan 
Ethel  Thompson 
Bessie    Crafton 


Harry  W.  Nickey 
A.  P.  -  Shepherd 
L.  C.  Canham 
Dr.  A.  W.  Barker 


George  A.  Fish 
Samuel    Barker 
James   Riley 
A.  D.  Burbank 


Indian  Braves 

C.  R,    Constant 

D.  T.    Queen 
J.  A.   Morton 
Ollie    Addleman 
Dare   I.   Martin 
Geo.    Hamilton 
B.   B.  Nuckels 
Arthur  Bridge 


Indian  Maidens 

Lillibelle   Troth 
Gertrude    Hall 
Ellen    Broaddus 
Ida   Johnson 

French  Soldiers 

Wm.    Diefenthaler 
J.   M.   Pollard 
Bud  Barber 


French  Woodrunners 

Ted  Weites 

O.  F.   Davenport 

J.  E.  Schwarzott 


J.    F.    Connelly 
Paul    Harmes 
Fred    Harmes 
Sam    Christopher 
W.   A.  Lester 
Harry   Converse 
Samuel    Eckel 
Albert    C.    Converse 


Lucille  Montgomery 
Stella    Nelson 
Ellen   Stevens 
Bessie    Stevens 


William    J.    Aurelius 
Harry    Watson 
Rice  J.   Moore 


J.   S.    Crugar 

L»   J.   Wylie 

M.    B.   Hoagland 


Under  the 

Mrs.    J.    W.    Hington 
Mrs.    Cummings 
Mrs.  Laura  Nichols 
Mrs.    Helen   Wemberg 
Mrs.   Oliver   Davenport 
Mrs.   Brownback 
Mrs.  Marie  Powell 
Mrs.   Theresa  O'Reilly 
Mrs.    John    Kohlbecker 
Mrs.  Jerry  Sexton 
Sue  Boyle 
Mary  Barry 
Ollie   Kennedy 
Anna  Nally 
Jessie   Smith 
Gertrude    White 
Josephine   Yoggerst 
Mrs.   W.   D.    Stewart 
Theresa  Eglin 
Loraine  Eglin 
Mary   Buoy 
Emily    Buoy 
Theresa  Reynolds 
Bessie   Higgins 
Elizabeth   Donelan 


Doris    Babcock 
Dorothy  Johnston 
Jennie   Barnes 
Leonora    Patton 
Margaret  Potter 
Frances  Easley 
Dorothy    Runyan 


Vexilla  Regis  Chorus 

direction  of  Miss  BESSIE 

Marie    Mulcahy 

Mrs.   Mayme  Stevens 

Margaret  Mulcahy 

Marie  Koenig 

Louise  M.  Desch 

Mrs.  Viola  E.   Holliday 

Mary   Delmore 

Margaret   Dolan 

Angela  Fischer 

Agnes  Mischler 

Mary  Shaughnessy 

Emma   Groesch 

Marie  Eglin 

Christine    Layendecker 

Catherine   Gorman 

Margaret  Dolan 

Edna    Groesch 

Margaret    Nollen 

Gertrude  Staab 

Irene  Foster 

Nellie   Gafflgan 

Margaret   Gaffigan 

Mary  Gaffigan 

Grace    Morgan 

Helen  Troesch 

French  Company 

Elizabeth    Pasfield 
Emily    Owen 
Cecelia    Schirnding 
Luella   Harnsberger 
Charlotte    Pasfleld 
Mabel   Stuart 
Lucille   Cazalet 


HANRATTY 
Ella   Morgan 
Helen  Golden. 
Marie  Hallihan 
Katherine   Hallihan 
Grace   Nordimeyer 
Thelma  Trent 
Loretta   Doyle 
Irene  Hart 
Kate    Costello 
Josephine    Connolly 
Thos.  Reynolds 
Thos.    Yoggerst 
Gus  Link 
John  Kuhlman 
Ed.  Dolan 
C.   N.   Groesch 
Jacob    Layendecker 
Earl  Kane 
J.   B.   Bird 
John    Fix 
Chas.   Metzger 
Sigmund  Rechner 
H.   Rabenstein 
Joseph  Geist 
James    Murphy 


Kathyrn  Kautz 
Mildred  Caskey 
Bertha   Harris 
Roxana   Watson 
Rowena   Shonweiler 
Grace   Peebles 


DOCUMENTS 


439 


Harry  L.    Smith 
Edward  F.    Irwin 
E.  L.  Haas 
G.   E.   Dobson 


Harry  C.   Page 
J.  F.   Baker 
George  J.  Tunney 
S.  E.   Moore 
A.  D.   Fash 
C.  H.  Picket! 
Lee  Kincaid 


British  Soldiers 

Geo.  D.   Parkin 
D.  M.  Tilson 
Arthur   Lehne 
C.  A.  Gauker 

Bordermen 

J.  A.   Bryden 
Miles  A.  Leach 
R.    E.   James 
Will  L.   Connor 
W.    B.    Jose 
Frank  T.  Keisacker 
W.   S.   Hurd 

Virginia  Reel 


C.  W.  Vail 
Fr_ed  C.   Kincaid 
Walter   Bachelder 


Carl    Congdon 
Barney    Oldfleld 
E.  L.  Mayhew 
Griffith   George 
A.   L.   Whittenberg 
Clarence  Jones 


Soloists 
Miss  GEORGIA.  L.  OSBORNE  and  MR.  R.  A.  GUEST 


Edward   S.    Boyd 

W.   R.  Flint 

O.  G.  Miller 

A.  C.  Margrave 

Harry   J.    Haynes 

William  L.   Blucke 


The  Dancers 

William  D.  McKinney 
Mr.   A.   B.   Harris 
Mr.   Alfred   Bramblett 
Mrs.   W.   R.   Flint 
Mrs.   O.   G.   Miller 
Mjs.    A.    C.    Margrave 

Continental  Soldiers 


Mrs.   Harry  J.   Haynes 
Mrs.  William  D.  McKinney 
Mrs.  E.   C.   Haas 
Miss    Elva    Boyd 
Mrs.  Kauffman 


Dr.  John  A.  Wheeler 

Chas.    T.    Bisch 

F.   O.  Lorton 

George  H.   Faxon 

Russell   James 

W.  D.  Mottar 

Edward    Anderson 

H.   A.   McElvain 

Wallie    Fleming 

C.   H.  Jenkins 

A.  R.  Abels 

J.   M.   Tucker 

A.    B.    Simonson 

Ray   Christopher 

C.  C.  Bradley 

Sam    Metcalf 

A.   A.   Hart 

Chas.  Price 

Leigh   Call 

F.  A.  Land 

Slavery  Group 

Children  of  Illinois 

Geo.   Edward   Coe 

Bob    Patton 

Margaret  E.  Jayne 

Geo.   French 

Charles   Lanphier 

Catherine   Graham 

Billy    Meteer 

Halbert  Crews 

Clara  Graham 

Hugh    Graham 

Marshall    Myers 

Catherine   Murphy 

Billy    Lou    Jayne 

Nona   Walgren 

Elizabeth    Murphy 

Sim   Fernandes 

Elizabeth    French 

Loretta    Bea 

Leon  Lambert 

Mercedes   Mueller 

Lorene    McGrath 

Daniel    O'Connell 

Mary   Merideth 

Virginia    S.    Osborne 

James   Edw.    Mueller 

Mary   Linn    Gulp 

Helen   Fogarty 

Maurice   Holahan 

Esther   McAnulty 

Nancy  Jane  Mackie 

Street  Dickerman 

Alice   Burke 

Mary  Fogarty 

James   Jones 

Martha  McCann 

Farmers  and  Miners  and 
Canal  and  Railroad  Makers 


Charles   Grahm 
Charles    Bridges 
Marshal   McNeer 
Allen    Bergman 
Frank   Stowars 


Boy  Scouts 
FRED  HAHN — Scout  Master 


Harold    Actom 
Lorence   Kunz 
Frank  Grebe 
John   Greleski 
Slanty  Wise 


Dwight    Trumbull 
Richard   New 
Stuart  Refler 
Will   News 
Robert   Scarf 


440 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


ILLINOIS  COLLEGES  FOUNDED  PREVIOUS  TO  THE  CIVIL  WAR 


Illinois 

McKendree 

Shurtleff 

Monticello 

Knox 

Lombard 

Rockford 

Illinois  Woman's  College 

Blackburn 

Hedding 

Eureka 


Wheaton 

Northwestern 

Augustana 

Chaddock 

Concordia 

Northwestern  University 

Monmouth 

Lake  Forest 

Wesleyan 

Chicago  University 

State  Normal 


THE  COLLEGE  GROUP  TRINITY  CHORUS  CHOIR 


Officers  of  Chorus 

R.  SCHOKNECHT,  Director  F.  DIESING,  Accompanist 

A.  MAURER,   Treasurer 

Assistants  to   Treasurer — FRANK   GROTH,   Louis   KOOPMAN,   ANNA  DURHEIM, 
MARGARET  BEHRENS 


Dorothy  Adams 
Nellie   Baker 
Selma  Behrens 
Elizabeth    Bettinghaus 
Anna  Busch 
Minnie   Durheim 
Clara  Engelder 
Carrie   Feuerbacher 
Margaret   Goering 
Charlotte    Friedmeyer 
Catherine   Friedmeyer 
Charlotte    Herzer 
Alme   Kojopman 
Lucy   Lauterbach 
Helen  Link 
Edna  Link 
Hilda  Libka 
Martha  Maurer 

Alice  Baker 
Hildegard   Behrens 
Margaret  Behrens 
Anna    Brand 
Hilda   Brand 
Caroline    Bretcher 
Mayme   Granneman 
Olga  Groth 


Herman    Sack 
Fred   Gaede 
Robert    Gaudlitz 
Louis   Groth 
Louis    Koopman 


George  Bettinghaus 
Leo  Brown 
Gus  Bretcher 
O.  H.  Bade 


Members 

Sopranos 
Helen    Meyer 
Johannah    Ostermeier 
Marie  Profrock 
Minnie   Reiss 
Louise  Reiss 
Eda   Richards 
Elizabeth    Richards 
Elsie  Roberts 
Anna  Ruschke 
Marie  Sack 
Lydia    Sieving 
Tena   Sommer 
Margaret    Sommer 
Margaret    Spitznagel 
Ruth   Streckfuss 
Elizabeth    Sturm 
Katherine  Sturm 

Altos 

Gola  Goebel 
Alma   Hoffman 
Bertha   Ostermeier 
Charlotte   Ostermeier 
Minnie   Ostermeier 

Durhheim 
Gustave  Pahnke 
Anna  Sack 

Tenors 

Fred    Schmidt 
T.  Steinke 
Edward  Tarr 
Walter  Meyer 
Fred   Ostermeier 

Basses 

Albert  Durheim 
Frank  Groth 
William  Profrock 
Wm.  H.  Schnep'p 


Alma  Sturm 
Lillie  Tarr 
Julia  Vogt 
Katherine  Van   Horn 
Dorothy   Van   Horn 
Marie   Zoellner 
Marie    Westerman 
Anna   Durheim 
Louise   Hoffman 
Margaret    Herzer 
Florence   Lauterbach 
Hedwig    Streckfuss 
Lyda  Tuxhorn 
Martha    Orlowski 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Maurer 
Mrs.   F.   Groth          » 
H.   Goebel 


Julia   Siebert 
Hilma  Voile 
Minnie    Yaeck 
Kenneth   Schnepp 
Lillie  Tuxhorn 
Mrs.  O.  Bade 


Wilbur  Fargo 
Godfrey  Adams 
August    Eshlepp 
H.  Beck 


Robert  C.  Runge 
Adolph  Maurer 
Carl  Ostermeier 


MOURNERS  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

ISAAC  GUEST  Soloist 


441 


Guard  of  Honor,  Members  Stephenson  Post  No.  30,  G.  A.  R. 


H.    H.    BIGGS,    Commander        ) 
R.    H.    CORSON,    Vice-Commander  f Color 


R.  W.  Ewingr 
E.  P.  Bartlett 
J.  B.  Inman 
Wash  Irwin 
E.  S.  Johnson 
W.  F.  McCoy 


Martha  Bliss 
Jeanette    Salzenstein 


Joseph  DeFreitas 
H.  B.  Davidson 
Chas.  Schuppel 
Chas.   Elkin 
I.  Guest 
J.  M.  Stevenson 

Spirit  of  Fire 
Miss  LUCY  BATES 

Fire  Sprites 

Bettie   Gullett 
Phoebe    Coe 

Water  Sprites 

Frances    Corson 
Dorothy    Sullivan 
Jeanette   Smith 


W.  H.  Newlin 
H.  H.  Keithley 
Michael  Hayes 
S.  S.  Nottingham 
John  Underfanger 


Katherine    Murray 
Rose  Alice   Coe 


Margaret    Howey 
Dorothy  Coe 
Sybil  Stevens 


Mary  Stuart 
Dorothy  Bair 
Lucille    Perry 
Dorothy    Dickson 

ILLINOIS  COUNTIES— AMATEUR  MUSICAL  CLUB  CHORUS 

Officers  of  the  Club 

MRS.  PAUL  STARNE,  President  MRS.  GEORGE  KEYS,  Vice-President 

Miss  ELBERTA  SMITH,  Secretary -Treasurer 
Directors — MRS.  RAY  SIMMONS,  MRS.  CLARENCE  JONES,  MRS.  V.  Y.  DALLMAN 


Mrs.    Harry   Steelman  Miss 

Miss  Elberta   Smith  Miss 

Mrs.    J.    F.    Hartwell  Miss 

Mrs.    Creighton    Borah  Miss 

Miss    Mary    Carter  Miss 

Mrs.   Paul  Starne  Miss 

Mrs.    John   Miller  Miss 

Mrs.    Walter   Reid  Miss 

Miss   Marie   Schevers  Miss 

Mrs.   E.   L.   Sturtevant  Miss 

Miss    Laura   Fisher  Miss 

Miss  Kate  Fisher  Miss 

Mrs.    Frank   Drake  Miss 

Mrs.    Cecil    Jackson  Mrs. 

Mrs.    Ray    Simmons  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Ernst  Helmle  Miss 

Miss  Mary  Hudson  Miss 

Miss   Caroline   Quirles  Miss 

Miss    Olivia    Monroe  Miss 

Mrs.   David  Lockie  Mrs. 

Mrs.    Bert   Weeks  Miss 

Mrs.   Nellie  Grant  Miss 

Mrs.  P.   P.   Powell  Miss 

Miss    Pearl    York  Miss 

Mrs.  W.   N.   Baker  Miss 

Mrs.    Herman   Abels  Miss 

Mrs.    Hugh    Graham  Miss 

Miss   Bessie   Hanratty  Miss 

Mrs.  Albert  Lutkemeyer  Miss 

Mrs.    J.   A.    Morton  Miss 

Miss  Mary  Jane  Howard  Miss 

Miss    Florence    Murray  Miss 

Mrs.    J.    G.    Fogarty  Miss 

Mrs.    E.    F.    Erler  Miss 

Miss  Irene  Hart  Miss 

Miss  Elizabeth  Janssen  Miss 


Members 

Corrine   Jacobs 
Edna    Neubeck 
Helen  Nelsch 
Helen  Fitch 
Helen   England 
Margaret    Jones 
Louise  Jacobs 
Elsie  Jacobs 
Helen  Donaldson 
Bernice  McDaniels 
Sue  Boyle 
Marie  Wise 
Earl  Farley 
Franz    Helmle 
Geo.    E.    Koehn 
Lucy   Hilmer 
Marie    Koenig 
Helen    Dresch 
Henrietta    Herman 
Marshall  Yetter 
Mary   Barry 
Irene   Foster 
Hazel   Newburn 
Minnie    Wadkins 
Anna    Somdal 
Flora    Janssen 
Ruth    Conover 
June    Conover 
Eda   Nelsch 
Helen  Nelsch 
Mae    Mitchell 
Hilda  Wiley 
Mildred    Moore 
Glenna    Chute 
Audrey  L.   Clark 
Alice  G.  Lawler 


Marie  J.   Dorsey 

Alice    Condon 

May  Manning 

Mrs.  Edna  M.  Paullin 

Mrs.  Jean  Paullin 

Miss    Daisy    Parks 

Miss    Edna    Nelch 

Mrs.    Chas.    Clapp 

Mrs.   Harry   Cobb 

Miss  Wright 

Miss    Vera    Reinbold 

Marie  Fitch 

Loretta   Downey 

Marie  Farlow 

Katharine    Hartman 

Margaret    E.    Driscoll 

Cecilia   Hogan 

Nellie   Hughes 

Julia    Pugh 

Virginia    Bennett 

Hathaway    Bennett 

Sarah    Jones 

Edith   Withey 

Lilla   Withey 

Margaret  H.   McDonald 

Margaret   McCranor 

Elizabeth    Leider 

Marie   Bruseke 

Laura    Thomas 

Miss    Mary    Maloney 

Frances  C.   Wright 

Mrs.  J.  Edward  Wimberg 

Ethel   M.   Luby 

Esther  Finnigan 

Josephine   Gorman 


442 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


WARS  OF  ILLINOIS  GROUP 


COLONEL  RICH  INGS  J.  SHAND,  Marshal 


J.   D.   Shaffer 
Henry  Offer 
L.   L.    Bacchus 
Dr.   E.   S.  Spindel 
W.    Sidney    Grundy 
G.  H.  Thoma 
G.  W.   Solomon 

E.  G.   George 
Curtis  E.   Lawrence 
Dr.  A.   N.   Owens 
G.    V.    Helmle 
Henry   R.    Marshall 
Robert   Curry 
Thomas   English 
Alexander   Miller 
Geo.   D.   Meredith 
Martin  Bolt 

John  Marland 
W.   H.   Bruce 
Fred   Wanless 
Walter   J.    Horn 
Thomas   Strong 
J.   H.  Ferreira 
Walter   Stehman 
Romie  Fields 
T.   Turley 
Edward  Smith 
Harry  J.  Thornton 
W.  A.  J.  Hay 
M.   D.   Morris 
Chas.    J.    Peterson 
J.    D.    Hudson 
Dr.  S.  D.  Zaph 
Dr.  G.  E.  Maxwell 
R.  F.  Bear 
R.   O.  Augur 
Fred  Gulick 
W.  H.  Conkling 

F.  M.   Legg 

L.  F.  Mansfield 
Basil  W.  Ogg 

G.  P.   Kircher 
Henry  L.    Smith 
Rev.  E.  M.  Antrim 
H.  A.  Leidel 
Samuel    H.    Heidler 
John  Vose,  Jr. 
Louis  M.  Myers 
W.    B.    Robinson 
W.  O.  Homberg 

T.    C.   Smith 
Norman  Reinboth 
Dr.   A.    Banks 
John  L.  Scott 
J.  B.  Crane 
Henry   Bengel 
Julius  Myers 
Curtis  H.  Rottger 
Harry   Johnson 
James  H.   McMillon 
F.  R.  Atwood 
E.  B.  Shinn 
A.  J.  Parsons 
O.   S.  Morse 
H.  C.  Henkes 
J.  H.  Raymond 


C.  R.  Beebe 
Wm.  B.  Chittenden 
L.  J.  Pulliam 
W.  F.  Castleman 
Clayton  Barber 
R.  O.  Fishback 
F.  O.  Gulick 
Lester  Krick 

B.  W.  Heady 
Lester  Gott 

W.  R.  Schroeder 
Wm.  M.  Jageman 
T.  M.  Bradford 
Chas.   Springer 
A.  E.  Miller 
F.  L.  Everett 
Chas.  G.  Briggle 
Ralph  Dickerson 
Barney  Cohen 
Bert  Bean 
Amos  Sawyer 
Jno.  P  Utt 
Arthur  Neale 
Fred  Klump 
Elmer   Birks 
Dr.  Francis  W. 

Shepardson 
L.  W.  Shade 
Dr.  Robert  J.  Flentje 
A.  H.  Bogardus 
E.  G.  Bogardus 
Justice  Mellon 

C.  A.  Washburn 
T.   E.  Park 

J.  A.  Miller 
C.  S.  Miller 
C.  W.  Kessler 
Frank  Kavanaugh 
Frank  A.   Hall 
Roy  T.  Jefferson 
Norval  M.  Naylor 
J.  R.  Jones 
R.  E.  Corson 
Edwin   Rees 
Grover  W.  Yoder 
Norman  L.  Owen 
Albert  S.  Mitchell 
Dr.  J.  C.  Walters 
R.  D.  Sharen 
Randolph  B.  Gaffney 

C.  C.  Roundtree 
A.    R.    Bidwell 
George  C.  Felter 
Dr.   J.  M.  Shearl 
H.  W.  McDavid 
W.   H.   Perkins 

D.  B.  Cannon 
Bridge   Brooks 
Walter  Jones 

E.  B.  Harris 
Wm.    L.    Blucke 
Wm.  D.  McKinney 
G.   C.  Rockwell 
Geo.   Cresse 
Edward  S.  Boyd 


Gerald  Edwin  Margrave 

W.  R.  Flint 

O.  G.  Miller 

A.  C.  Margrave 

Harry  J.  Haynes 

J.  M.  Picco 

Robert  Bunker 

Fred  Cassell 

M.  C.  Kline 

Ira  Busher 

J.  C.  Locher 

Chas.  A.  Keck 

W.  A.  Dorr 

Eugene  Linxweiler 

Paul  Dobson 

Louis  N.  Rolle 

Frank  Tomlin 

T.  L.  Muscat 

D.  H.  Brown 

G.  A.  Coleman 

F.   C.   Stone 

H.  J.   Spurway 

H.   H.   Clark 

J.  Maggentti 

George  Spengler 

Louis  Roberts 

Myer  Fishman 

Leo  Cohn 

R.   C.  McLain 

N.  B.   Clark 

Morton  Barker 

Jno.  W.  Vorhees 

J.  K.  Murdock 

Wm.  M.  Winders 

W.  T.  Fossett 

Herman  J.  Rick 

Dr.  T.  J.  Kinnear 

Donald  McDougal 

C.  Monroe  Hill 

Dr.  Geo.  B.  Weakley 
Edward  P.  Kelly 
Dr.  C.  M.  Mulligan 
Harry  E.  Fletcher 
W.  P.  Weinold 
J.  A.  Foster 
Dr.  A.  C.  Baxter 
James  M.  Gullett 
Benjamin  Bruce 
Timothy  E.  Britton 
H.  T.  Gulp 
H.  E.   Struble 
Miss  Gladys  Marland 
Miss  La  Verne  Marland 
Miss  Luella  Payton 
Miss  Gladys   Parsons 
Oscar  Ansell 
A.  W.  Chapman 
Thomas  Lawrence 

D.  O'Keefe 
H.   B.   Hill 

F.  R.  Dickerson 
A.   D.    Sawyer 
S.  Fernandas 
Dr.  J.  A.   Day 

E.  F.  Armbruster 


DOCUMENTS  443 

BORDERMEN  AND  WOMEN   (1778) 
With  Flag  of  Thirteen  Stars  and  Stripes 

ILLINOIS  RANGERS  AND  WOMEN   (1812) 
With  Flag  of  Fifteen  Stars  and  Fifteen  Stripes 

ILLINOIS  VOLUNTEERS  AND  WOMEN  (Black  Hawk  War  1832) 
With  Flag  of  Twenty-four  Stars  and  Thirteen  Stripes 

SOLDIERS  OF  MEXICAN  WAR 
With  Flag  of  Twenty-nine  Stars  and  Thirteen  Stripes 

SOLDIERS  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR 
With  Flag  of  Thirty-four  Stars 

SOLDIERS  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  SPAIN 

With  Flag  of  Forty-five  Stars 

MEMBERS  OF  LINCOLN  HOME  CAMP  NO.  64, 
UNITED  SPANISH  WAR  VETERANS 

ALLIED  NATIONS 
Flag  Bearer  and  Women 

LADIES  FROM  THE  EASTERN  STAR 

Ethel  Brown  Mabel  Pumphrey  Mrs.  Gary  Sinniger 

Alice    Brown  Nell   Nolden  Mrs.  E.  S.  Boyd 

Mrs.  Alfred  Bramblett  Marian  Welsh  Mrs.  Walter  Flint 

Mrs.  Lillian  Bugg  Emma  Gill  Mrs.  D.  H.  Irwin 

Clara  Brubaker  Gladys  Gill  Mrs.  P.  E.  Jones 

Clara  Page  Mrs.  Paul  Kienzele  Mrs.  W.  D.  McKinney 

Flag  Bearers  From  Ansar  Temple 

Belgium,  Brazil,  China,  Cuba,  France,  Greece,  Guatemala, 

Haiti,  Honduras,  Italy,  Japan,  Liberia,  Montenegro, 

Panama,  Portugal,  Roumania,  San  Marino, 

Serbia,  Siam,  Uruguay,  Great 

Britain  and  Ireland 

GUARD  OF  HONOR 
H.  H.  Biggs  and  R.  H.  Corson 

COLOR  BEARER 
William  Louis  Jayne  Drummer — Louis  De  Pron,  Jr. 

John  A.  Hauberg's 
Rock  Island  Fife  and  Drum  Corps 

ILLINOIS  RESERVE  MILITIA 

Major — FRANK  R.  SIMMONS,  1st  Battalion,   5th  Regiment 
Co.   D,    5th  Regiment 

Captain B.    F.    Bliss 

1st    Lieutenant Wm.    H.    McLain 

2d  Lieutenant Harry  E.   Stout 

65   Members 


444  ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

Major — HAL  M.  SMITH,  1st  Battalion,  7th  Regiment 
Co.  A,  7th  Regiment 

Captain James    A.    Jones 

1st   Lieutenant Robert   W.    Troxell 

2nd  Lieutenant Frank  L.   Melin 

65   Members 

Company   B,    7th    Regiment 

Captain Lauren    W.    Coe 

1st   Lieutenant Jesse    K.    Peyton 

2nd   Lieutenant Henry   L.    Patton 

65   Members 

Stage  constructed  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Henry  Helmle,  architect. 
Costumes  designed  by  Mr.  Russell  Abdill  and  Miss  Lillian  Lidman. 
Costumes  executed  by  Mrs.  Heimlich,  Miss  Lillian  Lidman  and  Schmidt 

Costume  and  Wig  Company. 
Concert  Master — Mr.  John  L.  Taylor. 
Accompaniste-^-Mrs.   Ethel  A.   Bliss. 
Stage  Properties — Mr.  I.  Franklin  Kalb. 
Electric  Lighting — Mr.   Charles  A.   Meador. 
Stage  built  by  Mr.  J.  Clyde  Evans. 

Dye_ing  of  Illinois  Company  Costumes  by  Mrs.  Addie  DeFrates. 
Assistants  to  Mr.   Bruegger — Mr.   Charles  Hudson,  Mr.  A.  D.   Burbank. 
Assistant  to  Col.  Richings  J.  Shand — Mr.  George  C.  Wood. 
The  Torch  of  Freedom  and  the  Lights  of  War  executed  by  George  and 

Reazer. 


PUBLICATIONS  ILLINOIS   CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 

1818-1918.  Suggestions  for  County  and  Local  Celebrations  of  the  One 
Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Admission  of  Illinois  Into  the 
Federal  Union. 

Centennial  Memorial  Publications. 

Illinois  in  1818.     Preliminary  Volume.     Edited  by  Solon  J.  Buck. 
Volume  I.       French  and  British  Dominion,  the  Revolution  and  the 
or  Territorial   Period,   closing   with   the   Admission   of 

Province  Illinois  as  a  State,  1818.    Edited  by  Clarence  Wai- 

and  worth  Alvord. 

Territory 
1673-1818. 
Volume  II.      The    Frontier    State,    1818-1848.    Edited    by    Theodore 

Calvin  Pease. 
Volume  III.     The  Era  of  the  Civil  War.    1848-1870.    Edited  by  Arthur 

Charles  Cole. 
Volume  IV.    The  Industrial  State.     187(M.893.     Edited  by  Ernest  U 

Bogart  and  Charles  Manfred  Thompson. 
Volume  V.      The    Modern    Commonwealth.      1893-1918.      Edited    by 

Ernest  L.  Bogart  and  John  M.  Mathews. 
Illinois  Centennial  Bulletins. 

October,  1917— October,  1918. 
Edited  by  HALBEKT  O.  CREWS. 

Nine  Numbers. 
Historical  Calendar,  1916-1918.     Noting  Historical  Events  Which  had 

Occurred  on  Certain  Dates.    Compiled  by  Georgia  L.  Osborne. 
Illinois  An  Historical  Resume.     By  Horace  H.  Bancroft. 
The  Masque  of  Illinois.     By  Wallace  Rice. 
The  Pageant  of  the  Illinois  Country.     By  Wallace  Rice. 
Six  Little  Plays  for  Illinois  Children.     By  Wallace  Rice. 
Illinois  and  the  War.    Original  Poem  Read  Illinois  Day,  December  3, 

1917.    By  Wallace  Rice. 
Kaskaskia.     An  Ode.     Read  at  Fort  Gage,  July  4,  1918.     By  Wallace 

Rice. 
The  Wonderful   Story   of  Illinois.     A   Pageant.     By   Grace  Arlington 

Owen. 

Pageant  Building.     By  Florence  Magill  Wallace. 
Music  for  the  Pageant  and  Masque.     By  Edward  C.  Moore. 
Music  for  Miss  Owen's  Pageant.     By  F.  W.  Westhoff. 

445 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abdill,     Russell,     Art     Director 

"The  Masque  of  Illinois 

395,   423,   431,   433,   444 

Abels,    A.    R 428,   439 

Abels,   (Mrs.)   Herman 441 

Abels,  Marian    427 

Abraham  Lincoln  Walks  at  Mid- 
night in  Springfield — Poem  by 

Vachel   Lindsay    294 

Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  Chicago, 

Illinois     421 

Acton,    Harold    425,  439 

Adams,  (Col.)  Clarendon  E., 
National  Commander  Grand 

Army  of  the  Republic 

40,   294,   299 

Adams    County,    111.,    Centennial 

Committee    377 

Adams,    Dorothy    428,   440 

Adams,    Godfrey    429,  440 

Adams,  John    77 

Addleman,  Ollie 425,   438 

Africa     139,  171 

Agee,  H.  D 425,   438 

Aix  -  la  -  Chapelle,    Congress    of 

1818.      Reference    ..153,  154,  155 
Aix  -  la  -  Chapelle,    The    German 

Aachen    153 

Alaska 193 

Albion,  111.,  Centennial  Observ- 
ance   377 

Albion,  (Edwards  Co.),  111.,  Eng- 
lish Colony  near  Albion,  111., 
located  by  Birkbeck  and 

Flower    287,  338 

Albion,    111.,    Old    Park    House, 

location  marked   380 

Alexander  County  111.,  Centen- 
nial Celebration  378 

Alexander  the  Great 347 

Alleghany   Mountains    

59,   60,   148,   156,   169 

Allen,  (Prof.)  Ira  M.,  Member 
Cast  Committee  Masque  of 

Illinois     39,   422,  433 

Allenby,    (Gen.),   Sir  Edmund.. 348 

Alsace-Lorraine    203,  204 

Alsace-Lorraine,    Return    of    to 

France    203,  204 

Alsace-Lorraine,   Under  German 

Yoke  for  43  years 203,  204 

Altgeld,  John  Peter,  Quoted — on 
"Getting  something  for  Noth- 
ing"   405 

Althoff,  (Rt.  Rev.)  Henry, 
Bishop  of  Belleville.  Invoca- 
tion at  Governor  Bond's  grave, 
July  4,  1918 224 


PAGE 

Alton,  111.,  Death  of  Lovejoy  in 
1837 213,  214 

Alton,  111.,  Lovejoy  Printing 
Press,  remains  of  mounted  in 
Alton  380 

Alton,  111.,  Madison  County  cel- 
ebration held  in 378 

Alton,  111.,  Vote  on  for  the  State 
Capital  275 

Alvord,  (Prof.)  Clarence  Wai- 
worth  33,  34,  78,  135,  179 

Alvord,  (Prof.)  Clarence  Wai- 
worth,  Editor  Centennial  Me- 
morial History  

33,  34,  78,  135,  179 

Alvord,  (Prof.)  Clarence  Wai- 
worth,  The  Centennial  History 
of  Illinois  179-194 

Alvord,  (Prof.)  Clarence  Wai- 
worth,  Illinois  Centennial  Me- 
morial History.  Province  and 
Territory,  Vol.  I,  1673-1818. 
Edited  by  C.  W.  Alvord 34 

America  24,  31,  40, 

79,  93,  114,  115,  119,  120,  123, 
124,  130,  145,  146,  148,  149, 
150,  156,  205,  206,  207,  217,  247 

America,  America's  debt  to  Gen- 
eral LaFayette  206 

America,  Birkbeck,  Morris 
quoted  on  America 156 

America,  Clark,  George  Rog- 
ers— Expedition  149,  150 

America,  One  language  the 
English  language  in  America.  247 

America,  Song — Added  Stanza.. 301 

American   Bottom    235,  286 

American  Colonies  declare  their 
Independence  159 

American  Democracy  

158,  159,  162,  163 

American  Democracy,  Constitu- 
tional Conventions  milestones 
on  the  road  to  American 
Democracy  159 

American  Democracy,  Slavery 
drives  a  deep  wedge  in 162 

American  Flag  

227,  228,  230,  326,  387 

American  Language,  But  one 
American  language,  the  Eng- 
lish language 217 

American  Red  Cross 431 

American  Republic.  . .  .130,  140,  142 

Americanism,  Roosevelt,  Theo- 
dore, quoted  on. 245,  246,  249-251 

Americanism,  see  Roosevelt 
Speech,  Aug.  26,  1918. ..  249-251 

Americans,  Hyphenated  Ameri- 
cans   247 


446 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Anderson,    (Bishop)    Charles   P. 379 

Anderson,    Edward    428,   439 

Andrew,     (Gov.)     John    A.,     of 

Massachusetts    103 

Annals  of  Congress.  Quoted  on 
the  admission  of  Illinois  into 

the   Union,    1818 195 

Ansell,   Oscar    431,   442 

Anteus  of  Greek  Mythology. ..  .156 

Antrim,   (Rev.)   E.  M 430,   442 

ApMadoc,  W.  Tudor,  Member  of 
Chicago  Centennial  Commit- 
tee   323 

Appomattox,  Va.  .126,  173,  221,  327 
"Arcades"    played    at    Harefield, 
the  county  seat  of  the  Dow- 
ager Duchess   of  Derby 407 

Arch      of      Napoleon,      Paris, 

France    , 87 

Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
Pageant  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land given  in  the  palace 

grounds  of   399 

Arizona  State,  Experiments  with 

the    recall.      Reference 164 

Armbruster,  E.  F 431,  442 

Armenia    203 

Armour,  Philip  D.,  Established 
Institute  of  Technology,  Chi- 
cago   214 

Armstrong  Anna    427 

Armstrong  Family 42 

Armstrong,  Verna    437 

Arnold,    Isaac    N.,    Lincoln    and 

Slavery    78 

Art  Association,    Springfield.  .  .  . 

295,   421 

Art  Institute,   Chicago 

323,  400,  407,   408 

Asia   139,   205,  314 

Athens,  Greece   406 

Atlantic  Ocean    90,   139,  262 

Atwood,    F.    R 430,442 

Aubert,  (Monsieur)  Louis,  Ad- 
dress. A  Message  from 

France 135,  137,  197-206 

Aubert,  (Monsieur)  Louis, 
Member  of  the  French  High 
Commission  to  the  United 

States    196,197 

Augur,  R.  0 429,   442 

Augustana   College    428,  440 

Aurelius,  William  J 426,  438 

Austria 113,   142,   154,   202,  203 

Aux  Eparges,  France 205 


B 

Babcock,    Doris    427,   438 

Babcock,  R.  Fairweather,  winner 
of     second     prize     Centennial 

Poster    421 

Babylon    77,  398 

Bacchus,   L.    L 429,   442 

Bachelder,    Walter    428,   439 

Bade,    O.    H 429,440 

Bade,    (Mrs.)    O.  H 440 

Bailey,  M.  W.,  Member  of  Cen- 
tennial      Commission,       State 

Senate   19 

Bair,    Dorothy    426,  441 

Bair,  Helen    426 


PAGE 

Baker,  Alice   429,  440 

Baker,    Claribel     427 

Baker,  (Col.)  Edward  Dickinson 

..67,  68,  69,  70,  71,  220,  221,   288 
Baker,    (Col.)    Edward    Dickin- 
son,  Colonel  of  Volunteers   in 

the  War  of  the  Rebellion 68 

Baker,  (Col.)  Edward  Dickin- 
son, Killed  in  battle  of  Ball's 
Bluff  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion   70,  221 

Baker,  (Col.)  Edward  Dickin- 
son, Orator,  famous  addresses 

of,    extracts    68,  71 

Baker,  (Col.)  Edward  Dickin- 
son, United  States  Senator 

from  Oregon    68 

Baker,  George  B.,  Member  of 
fi  r  s  t  Centennial  Commis- 
sion   17,  22 

Baker,    J,    F 428,   439 

Baker,   Nellie    428,   440 

Baker,    (Mrs.)   W.  W 441 

Ballou,   Eleanor    426 

Ball's    Bluff,    Battle    of,    War   of 

the  Rebellion   70,  221,  288 

Baltimore,  Md.,  Cost  of  trans- 
portation from  Baltimore  to 
Wheeling  in  an  early  day. . .  .283 

Balzerick,  Walter 429 

Bancroft,    (Hon.)   Edgar  A 

135,    137,    206,   345 

Bancroft,  (Hon.)  Edgar  A., 
Centennial  address,  "Illinois — 

The  Land  of  Men" 206-222 

Bancroft,  George,  Historian....    77 
Bancroft,    Horace   H.,   Assistant 
Director,    Centennial    celebra- 
tions..31,   362,   363,   381,   422,  432 
Bancroft,  Horace  H.,  Illinois  an 
Historical  Resume.. 381,   386,  445 

Banks,    (Dr.)    A 430,  442 

Barber,  Bud  426,  438 

Barber,  Clayton 430,  442 

Barker,  (Dr.)  A.  W 426,  438 

Barker,  Morton   431,  442 

Barker,  Samuel   427,  438 

Barnaby,    J.    B 437 

Barnes,  Jennie 427,  438 

Barnes,  M.  Frances 425 

Barr,  Richard  J.,  Member  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial    Commission    26 

Barry,   Mary    427,  438,  441 

Bartlett,    E.    P 427,   441 

Bates,  (Judge)  Edward,  of  Mis- 
souri   100,  104 

Bates,  (Miss)  Lucy,  Director  of 
the  dances,  Illinois  Centennial 

celebration    

395,    423,    425,    426,    433,    437,   441 
"Battle    Cry    of    Freedom,"    by 

George    F.   Root 371 

Battle    of    Buena    Vista,    War 

with  Mexico    92 

Battle  of  Bull  Run,  War  of  the 

Rebellion     126 

Battle  of  Concord,   War  of  the 

Revolution    77.   264,  329 

Battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  War  of 

the  Rebellion    63 

Battle  of  Fredericksburg-,  War 
of  the  Rebellion..  .  .126 


448 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Battle  of  Lexington,  War  of  the 

Revolution    77,    264,   329 

Battle    of    Lundy's    Lane,    War 

of  1812    62 

Battle  of  the  Marne,  World  War 

87,  95,  197,   331 

Battle  of  Yorktown,  War  of  the 

Revolution     316,  327 

Baumann,   Chas.   T 422,  433 

Baxter,    (Dr.)    A.   C 431,   442 

Bazant,  John  A.,  Winner  of 
third  prize  Illinois  Centennial 

Poster    421 

Bean,   Bert    430,   442 

Bean,  B.  C 437 

Bear,   R.   F 429,  442 

Beardstown,  111 284 

Beck,  H 440 

Beebe,   C.   R 430,  442 

Beebe,   Louise    437 

Beecher,  Edward,  President  of 
Illinois  College,  Jacksonville, 

111.    ..: 214 

Beers,   Henry   Augustin 405 

Beersheba     347 

Behrens,    Hildegard    429,  440 

Behrens,  Margaret  ...428,  429,  440 

Behrens,   Selma    428,  440 

Belgium     ...113,   114,  202,  424,   443 
Belleville,      111.,      Althoff,       (Rt. 
Rev.)  Henry,  Bishop  of  Belle- 
ville     224 

Bengel,  Henry   430,  442 

Benjamin,  Judah  P.,  United 
States  Senator  from  Louis- 
iana    69 

Bennett,  Hathaway    441 

Bennett,  Virginia   441 

Benton,  (Prof.)  Elbert  Jay, 
Establishing  the  American 
Colonial  system  in  the  Old 

Northwest    135,   136,   I-XXIV 

Benton,   Thomas  Hart 77,   304 

Bergman,  Allen    425,  439 

Berlin,    Germany.  143,  230,  324,  326 
Berlin,     Germany,     Imperial 

Court  at  Berlin 230 

Bermister,    (Mrs.)    Alma 427 

Berry,  John,  Lincoln  and  Berry 

store  at  New  Salem 42 

Best,  (Mrs.)  A.,  Starr  assists  in 
the  presentation  of  the  Chi- 
cago Centennial  Pageant 322 

Bethlehem,  Penn 325 

Bettinghaus,    Elizabeth    ...428,   440 

Bettinghaus,  George    429,  440 

Beveridge,  Albert  J.,  Life  of 
John  Marshall.  Reference. .  .144 

Bidwell,    A.    R 430,   442 

Biederman,  Ruth    429 

Bigrgs,   H.  H 424,  441 

Bird,  J.  B 427,  438 

Birdges,  Charles   425 

Birkbeck,    Morris    

32,   156,  157,   287,  338 

Birkbeck,  Morris,  English 
colony,  located  near  Albion, 
Edwards  County,  by  Birkbeck 

and   Flower    287 

Birkbeck,     Morris,     Journal     of. 

Reference    157 

Birkbeck,  Morris,  Quoted  on 
America  156 


PAGE 

Birks,    Elmer    430,   442 

Bisch,    Chas.    T 428,   439 

Bissell,    (Gov.)    William   H 295 

Blackburn    College,     Carlinville, 

111 428,  440 

Black    Hawk    181,  182 

Black   Hawk  War,    1832 

..42,  182,   369,   424,  435,  436,  443 
Black      Hawk      War,      Lincoln, 
Abraham,      Captain      in      the 

Black  Hawk  War 42 

Black,    (Gen.)    John  C 72 

Black,    (Mrs.)    John  W 425,   437 

Black  Laws  of  Illinois 

278,   280,   281 

Blackstock,   Ira    422,  432 

Blaine,    James   G 77 

Blair,  Francis  G.,  Honorary 
Member  of  Illinois  Centen- 
nial Commission  21,  23 

Blair,  Francis  G.,  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction, 

State  of  Illinois 21,  23,  28,  40 

Blair,    (Mrs.)   Francis  G 53 

Blair,  Francis  Preston Ill 

Blanchard,  Jonathan,  President 
of  Knox  College,  Galesburg, 

111 214 

Bliss,   B.   F 429,  443 

Bliss,    (Mrs.)    Ethel   A 431,  444 

Bliss,  Martha 426,  441 

Bloom,    (Rev.)    1 300 

Bloomington,    111 330,   380,  409 

Bloomington,  111.,  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution 
mark  place  where  Lincoln 
made  his  famous  "Lost 

Speech"    380 

Bloomington,  111.,  S  a  1  z  m  a  n, 
(Corporal)  Paul,  in  World 

War    330 

Blucke,    William    L 

426,  430,   439,   442 

Bogardus,    A.    H 430,   442 

Bogardus,    E.    G 430,   442 

Bogart,  Ernest  L.,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial History,  Vol.  IV.  The 
Industrial  State,  1870-1893. 
Edited  by  Ernest  L.  Bogart 
and  Charles  M.  Thompson. 34,  445 
Bogart,  Ernest  L.,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial History,  Vol.  V.  The 
Modern  Commonwealth,  1893- 
1918.  Edited  by  Ernest  L. 
Bogart,  John  M.  Mathews  and 

Arthur  C.  Cole 34,   187,  445 

Boggess,  Arthur  Clinton,  Settle- 
ment of  Illinois.  Quoted 283 

Bohemia     327 

Bohemian  Club  of  San  Fran- 
cisco   408 

Bolt,  Martin    429,   442 

Bonaparte,  Napoleon    128,  154 

Bond,    (Gov.)    Shadrach 173, 

210,    223,    224,    272,    276,    278,  295 
Bond,    (Gov.)    Shadrach,    Buried 
in  Evergreen  Cemetery,  Ches- 
ter, Randolph  County,  111 .... 

223,  224 

Bond,  (Gov.)  Shadrach,  First 
Governor  under  Statehood, 

State  of  Illinois 58,  210,  272 

Boone,  Daniel   57 


INDEX 


449 


PAGH 

Boonville,    Ind 177 

Borah,    (Mrs.)    Creighton 441 

Bordeaux,  France,  French  Na- 
tional Assembly  in 204 

Boston,    Mass 390,  391 

Boston,  Mass.,  Herald,  News- 
paper quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois 391 

Bowe,  (Dr.)  Edward,  Member 
of  the  Illinois  Centennial 

Commission    

3,   20,   23,   38,   421,   432 

Bowe,  (Dr.)  Edward,  Member 
of  Committee  on  Pageants 
and  Masques,  Illinois  Centen- 
nial    38 

Boyd,  Edward  S.426,   431,   439,   442 

Boyd,    (Mrs.)    E.    S 443 

Boyd,    (Miss)    Elva.  ..426,   431,   439 
Boyd,  Randolph,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission   26 

Boyer,  Thomas  A.,  Member  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial    Commission    26 

Boyer,  Thomas  A.,  Member  of 
Centennial  Commission,  Illi- 
nois HouSe  of  Representa- 
tives   20,  26 

Boyle,  John   427 

Boyle.   Sue    427,  438,  441 

Braddock,    (Gen.)    Edward 239 

Bradford,   T.   M 430,   442 

Bradford   (Mrs.)   T.  M 430 

Bradley,  C.  C 428,   439 

Bradley,  Elmer  E 424,   436 

Bramblett,    Alfred    439 

Bramblett,    (Mrs.)    Alfred 443 

Brand,    Anna    429,   440 

Brand,   Hilda    429,  440 

Brazil     443 

Brazza,    Count    Pierre    Savorg- 

nande     199 

Breckenridge,  John  C  a  b  e  1 1, 
United  States  Senator  from 

Kentucky   70,   71 

Breese  (Hon.)   Sidney. 271.  272,  340 
Breese     (Hon.)     Sidney,    Quoted 
on    the    location    of    the    State 

Capital     271 

Breese  (Hon.)  Sidney,  State 
records  transferred  from 
Kaskaskia  to  Vandalia  by 

Breese     272 

Bretcher,   Caroline    429,  440 

Bretcher,    Gus    429,   440 

Brewer,  Frederick  A.,  Member 
of  Advisory  Committee  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission..  26 

Bridge,  Arthur 425,   438 

Bridges,  Charles   439 

Briey.    France     202 

Briggle,   Chas.  G 430,   442 

British  Empire    321 

Britton.    Timothy  E 431,   442 

Broaddus,    Ellen    426,438 

Broderick,  David  C..  Edward 
Dickinson  Baker's  Eulogy  on. 

Extracts    69 

Brodhagen,    Hilda     429 

Brolin.  H.  G.,  Manager  of  the 
International  News  Bureau.. 382 

—29  C  C 


PAGE. 

Brooks,    Bridge    430,   442 

Brooks,    Fred    425,   438 

Brown,  Alice    443 

Brown,    (Mrs.)    Barr 425 

Brown,  Christine,  Takes  the  part 
of  Columbia  in  the  "Masque 

of  Illinois"    425,   437 

Brown,    D.    H 431,   442 

Brown,    Ethel    443 

Brown,   George  W 273 

Brown,  (Miss)  Hazel,  Winner 
of  fourth  prize  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Poster  421 

Brown,    Ida   L 425,  437 

Brown  (Hon.)  John  J.,  Member 
of  Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion  21,  23,  31,  397,  421,  432 

Brown,    Leo    429,  440 

Brownback,    (Mrs.)     427,  438 

Browne,  Thomas  C.,  Pro-slav- 
ery candidate  for  Governor  of 

Illinois     278 

Browning,    (Hon.)    Orville  H...288 
Brownville,  111.,  Branch  Bank  of 

Illinois   located    in 28 

Brubaker,  Clara  443 

Bruce,  Benjamin   431,  442 

Bruce,   W.    H 429,  442 

Bruegger,  Frederick,  Pageant 
Master  Illinois  Centennial 

Celebrations 38,   236,   241, 

242,    290,    395,    397,   423,    433,  444 
Bruegger,     Frederick,     Pageant 
Master  Illinois  Centennial 
Celebrations.     Report    ...395-397 
Bruegger    (Mrs.)    Frederick,  as- 
sists Mr.  Bruegger  as  Pageant 
Master     Centennial     Celebra- 
tions  38,    242,    395,    423,   433 

Bruegger,  (Mrs.)  Frederick, 
Musical  Director  "The  Mas- 
que of  Illinois" 423,  433 

Bruscke,   Marie    437,  441 

Bryan,    William    Jennings 73 

Bryden,   J.   A 428,  439 

Buchanan    (Pres.)    James 103 

Buck,  Justus  Solon,  Editor 
Preliminary  Volume  Illinois 

Centennial    History    

33,   191,   285,   384,   445 

Buckmaster.  Samuel,  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives, 

State   of   Illinois.    1863 340 

Buckner.    (Gen.)    Simon    B 326 

Buena    Vista,    Battle    of.  •  War 

with    Mexico    92 

Bugg   (Mrs.)    Lillian 443 

Bull  Run,  Battle  of.    War  of  the 

Rebellion     126 

Bulwer  (Sir)  Henry,  Clayton- 
Bulwer  Treaty.  Reference  ...314 

Bunker.   Robert    431.   442 

Bunn,  John  W.,  Member  of  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion  3,  21.  23.  129.  422,  432 

Bunyan,  John.  Pilgrim's  Pro- 
gress. Quoted  77 

Buoy,    Emily    427,   438 

Buoy,   Margaret    427 

Burbank,  A.  D 437,   438,   444 

Burke,  Alice 426,  439 


450 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Burke,  Edmund,  English  states- 
man   229 

Burke,    Edmund    of    Springfield, 

111 316,    424,   437 

Burke,   Kathryn    427 

Burley,    Clarence    A.,    President 

Chicago   Historical   Society. .  .379 
Burlington,     Iowa,     Hawkeye — 
Quoted   on   the   Centennial    of 

Illinois     389 

Burnett,  Mary  Ann 426 

Burns,  John  S.,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission  26 

Burns,  John  S.,  Member  Cen- 
tennial Commission  

17,   19,   20,   22,  23,  26,   28 

Burns,    Paul    424,   437 

Busch,    Anna    428,  440 

Busher,  Ira 431,  442 

Butler,  William  J.,  Member  of 
Centennial  Commission,  Illi- 
nois House  of  Representatives  20 

Butterly,  Mary   427 

Butter-worth,    "William,     Member 
of   the    Illinois   Centennial 
Commission.  .  .3,    21,   23,   422,  432 
Butts,    Otto    247 


Cabet     Etienne,     Head     of     the 
Icarian    community    at    Nau- 

voo,   111 65,  56 

Caesar's    Gods,    Masque 408 

Cahokia     207 

Cairo,    111.,    Alexander    County. 
Centennial     Celebration     held 

in    378 

Calhoun,   William   J 72,  73 

California  State    

68,  139,  314,   351,  408 

California,  State,  Bohemian  Red- 
wood Grove   408 

California  State,   Gold  mines... 351 
California,     State,    Masques    of 

California   408 

Call,    S.    Leigh,    First    Publicity 
Manager  Illinois  Centennial.. 

31,  359,  383,  428,  439 

Call,    (Mrs.)    S.    Leigh 437 

Cameron,    (Senator)    James  Mc- 
Donald   of   Pennsylvania 100 

Campbell,  V.  A 425,   438 

Camp   Dodge,   Iowa 86 

Camp  Grant,  Rockford,  111.. 86,  378 

Camp  Logan,   Texas 86 

Camp       Meeting       in       Indiana. 

Reference 170,  171 

Camp    Pike,    Arkansas 86 

Camp     Zachary     Taylor,     Ken- 
tucky         86 

Canada    32,    59, 

108,    113,    116,    117,    142,    143,   317 
Canada.   Canadian  losses  in  the 

World  War    117 

Canham,   L.    C 426,   438 

Canham,    (Mrs.)    L.    C 430 

Cannon,  D.  B 430    442 

Cannon.    (Hon.)    Joseph   G 27 

Cantrall,  Evans  E 429 

•"npital    City   Band,    Springfield. 298 


PAGE 

Capital,  Illinois  State.  Agi- 
tation on  removal  of,  from 
Vandalia,  see  Carter,  Orrin. 

Address     275 

Carew's,   "Coelum  Britannica".  .406 

Carlin,   (Gov.)   Thomas 276,  295 

Carlyle,    111.,     Formerly    Pope's 

Bluff    271 

Carlyle,   111 271,    284,  285 

Carlyle,  Thomas   77,  115,  157 

Carlsbad,  Bohemia 122 

Carmi,    111 284 

Carnegie  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy, Pittsburgh,  Pa 409,  410 

Carnegie  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology. Dramatic  School .... 

409,  410 

Carolina  County,  Va 84 

Carolinas,    (The)    151 

Carr,    Clark    E.,    The   Illini 78 

Carter,    (Miss)    Mary 441 

Carter,   (Justice)  Orrin  N 

27,  28,  78,  259,   269-289 

Carter,  (Justice)  Orrin,  Cen- 
tennial Address  "Vandalia 

and  the  Centennial 269-289 

Cartwright,    (Justice)    James  H. 

332,    333,    341-344,  347 

Cartwright,  (Justice)  James  H., 
"The  Illinois  Supreme  Court. 

332,    333,    341-344,  347 

Cartwright,     Peter,     Pioneer 

Preacher  in  Illinois 251 

Casad,   (Rev.)   Anthony  Wade.  .137 

Casey,  Marie    425,  437 

Casey,    (Lieut.  Gov.)    Zadoc.... 

276,  279 

Caskey,  Mildred 438 

Cassel,    Fred    431,442 

Castleman,   W.    F 430,  442 

Caton,   (Judge)  John  Dean 

272,   280 

Caton,      (Judge)      John      Dean, 

"Miscellanies"     272,   280 

Cavell,     Edith,     Martyr     World 

War    lie,  425 

Cazalet,    Lucille    438 

Centennial,    Illinois,    Banner    or 

Flag.     Act  creating 414,  415 

Description 414 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Centenary 
of  the  Enabling  Act.  April 

18,   1918    134-222,   388 

Centennial,  Illinois  Centenary 
of  the  Promulgation  of  the 
First  Constitution  of  the  State 
of  Illinois.  Aug.  26,  1918.... 

51,   241-258 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Chicago 
Celebration.  Oct.  8-13,  1918 

322-331 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Closing  Ob- 
servance Dec.  3,  1918. ..  .332-355 
Centennial,  Illinois,   Commission. 
Act   creating   the    Commission 

9,  13-16,   17-28,  44-45 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Act  of  the  General  Assembly 
giving  the  Governor  power  to 

appoint  members   18 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Dunne.  (Gov.)  Edward  F., 
appoints  fifteen  members 18 


INDEX 


451 


PAGE 

Centennial,  Illinois,.  Commission, 
Financial  report 44-45 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Invitation  sent  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  to 
attend  observance  Oct.  5,  1918 
27 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Members  of  first  Commis- 
sion   17,  18 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Members  of  the  Commission 
appointed  under  authority  of 
Senate  Joint  Resolution,  1913 
19 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Organization,  plans  for  the 
observance  of  the  Centenary 
of  the  State 17-28 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Press  of  the  State  cooperate 
with  381,  382 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Report  of  the  Commission.  .13—16 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Report,  preliminary  13-16 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Commission, 
Second  Commission  members 
19,  20 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Documents. 
Reports  of  Director,  Publicity, 
Pageant  Master,  Writer  of 
Masques  and  Pageants.  Cen- 
tennial Banner.  Centennial 
Poster.  Programmes  of  Mas- 
que. Centennial  Publications 
.359-421,  445 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Field  Mass, 
On  the  grounds  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  Academy,  Springfield, 
111 294-296 

Centennial,    Illinois,    Half-Dollar  34 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Hymn,  By 
Wallace  Rice 7,  298,  299 

Centennial,  Illinois  Day,  Dec.  3, 
1917  .52—93 

Centennial,  Illinois,  The  Lincoln 
Birthday  Observance  94-133 

Centennial,  Illinois,  "Masque  of 
Illinois."  Programmes  Aug. 
26,  Oct.  4,  5,  1918 421-444 

Centennial,      Illinois,      Memorial 

Building    

35-37,   51,   290,   291,   296,    297,   373 

Centennial,     Illinois,      Memorial 

History    

33,  34,  135,  136,  179-194,   445 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Music  by 
Edward  C.  Moore...  137,  421-444 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Observance 
of  the  Centenary  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  State  Govern- 
ment, Oct.  5-6,  1918 290-321 

Centennial,  Illinois,  O  ffi  c  i  a  1 
Celebration  49-51 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Pageants 
and  Masques 37-43,  421-444 

Centennial,   Illinois,   Poster 

415-420,    421,   445 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Poster. 
Prizes  awarded  421 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Randolph 
County  Celebration  ..23,  223-240 


PAGE 

Centennial,  Illinois,  Vandalia 
and  Fayette  County  Celebra- 
tion, Sept.  24-26,  1918  ...  259-289 

Central   America    314 

Chaddock    College,    Quincy,    111. 

428,   440 

Chamberlin,  Charles  H.,  Com- 
poser of  Song  "Illinois" 371 

Champaign,  111.,  News.  News- 
paper. Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 391,  392 

Champlain,  Samuel  de,  Histori- 
an and  Traveler 13 

Chandler,   Ella    437 

Chandler,  Helen    425 

Chapman,   A.  W. 431,  442 

Chapman,     George,     E  n  g1 1  i  s  h 

Dramatist  and  Poet 406 

Charlemagne   or  Charles   1 153 

Charnwood,      Lord,      (Godfrey 

Rathbone    Benson)     

290,    291,    293, 

295,    296,    298,    301,    316,    317,  321 
Charnwood,    Lord,     Address     at 
the   Unveiling   of  the   Lincoln 
Statue,   State  House  Grounds, 

Oct.  5,   1918 317-321 

Charnwood,    Lord,   Author   of   a 

noted  life  of  Lincoln 316 

Chase,    Salmon   P 127,  168 

Chateau  Thierry,  World  War.. 327 

Chatham,   Lord    316 

Chenery,  William  Dodd,  Leads 
Community  Singing,  Centen- 
nial   295,  299 

Chesapeake  Bay   149 

Chester,  (Randolph  County) 
111.,  Centennial  Celebration, 
held  at,  July  4,  1918.  .49,  223-240 

Chetlain,    (Gen.)    A.   L 78 

Chicago,   111 3,  21,   59, 

87,   89,   98,  187,   188,   211,   216, 
220,     261,     322-331,     379,     380, 
384,    385,    391,    392,    393,    400, 
407,    421,    422,    428,    432,    435,   440 
Chicago,    111.,   Academy   of  Fine 

Arts    421 

Chicago,    111.,    Art    Institute.... 

400,    407 

Chicago,    111.,    Centennial    Cele- 
bration, Oct.   3-13,   1918.  .322-331 
Chicago,    111.,    Centennial    Monu- 
ment,    Logan     Square,     dedi- 
cated,  Oct.    13,   1918 379 

Chicago,    111.,    Chicago    Tribune 

Centennial  issues   385 

Chicago,    111.,    Columbian    Expo- 
sition.     Reference.  .220,   424,   435 
Chicago,   111.,   Fire,   1871... 322,   435 
Chicago,    111.,    Herald,    Newspa- 
per.     Quoted   on   the   Centen- 
nial  of   Illinois 393 

Chicago,    111.,    Historical    Society 

187,    188,    379,  393 

Chicago,    111.,   Historical   Society 

.  Centennial   Celebration   379 

Chicago,  111.,  Jewish  Historical 
Society  mark  site  of  the  first 
Jewish  Tabernacle  in  the 
State,  in  Chicago 380 


452 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Chicago,  111.,  Journal,  News- 
paper. Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 392 

Chicago,  111.,  Normal  College 
Pageant.  Reference  379 

Chicago,  111.,  Parochial  Schools.  .379 

Chicago,  111.,  Post,  Newspaper. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial  of 
Illinois  393 

Chicago,  111.,  Republican,  Na- 
tional Convention  of  1860, 
held  in  98-107 

Chicago,  111.,  Seal,  "Urbs  in 
horto"  211 

Chicago,  111.,  Second  city  on  this 
hemisphere  261 

Chicago,  111.,  Schools,  Pageants 
given  in,  Centennial  of  the 
State  379 

Chicago,  111.,  Statue  of  "The  Re- 
public" by  Daniel  Chester 
French  unveiled  in  Jackson 
Park,  May  11,  1918 379 

Chicago,  111.,  Strike  of  1894. 
Reference  216 

Chicago,  111.,  Tribune.  Quoted 
on  the  Centennial  of  the 
State  391 

Chicago,  111.,  University  of  Chi- 
cago   21,  407,  428,  440 

Chicago,  111.,  Visscher,  William 
Lightfoot.  Historical  sketches 
on  the  beginnings  of  Chicago. 
Centennial  Contribution 384 

Child,  Henry  Lyman 425,   437 

Child,    (Mrs.)    Henry  Lyman... 43 7 

China    431,   443 

Chism,    (Mrs.)    Dorothy  Dodds.  .437 

Chittenden,    Wm.    B 430,  442 

Christian  Science  Monitor. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial  of 
Illinois  390 

Christopher,    Ray    428,  439 

Christopher,    Samuel   425,   438 

Churches,  Episcopal  Church. 
Christ  Episcopal  Church, 
Springfield  300 

Churches,  Episcopal  Church.  St. 
Peter's,  St.  Louis.  Mo...  295,  301 

Churches,    Greek    Church 398 

Churches,  Jewish  Temple.  B'rith 
Sholem,  Springfield,  111 300 

Churches,  Lutheran,  Grace  Luth- 
eran, Springfield,  111 301 

Churches,  Methodist  Church .  . . 
..138,  300 

Churches.  Methodist  Church, 
Springfield,  111 138.  300 

Churches,  Presbyterian  Church, 
Springfield,  111.,  2nd 301 

Churches,  Presbyterian  Church, 
Vandalia,  111 286,287 

Churches,  Roman  Catholic 
Church  398 

Chute,    (Miss)    Glenna 441 

Civil  War.  see  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion   

40,  214,  263,  278,  281,  282, 
288,  293,  318,  322,  323,  326, 
328,  394,  400,  424,  435,  436,  443 


PAGE 

Civil  War,  Episode  in  the 
Masque  of  Illinois.  Refer- 
ence    40 

Clapp,    (Mrs. )    Chas 441 

Clark,    (Miss)   Audrey  L 441 

Clark,  George  Rogers 14, 

29,    60,    66,    91,    148,    149,    169, 
171,    172,    188,    226,    234,    274,  375 
Clark,  George  Rogers,   Captures 

Kaskaskia,  July  4,  1778 

14,   29,    60, 

66,    171,    172,    226,    233,    234,   375 
Clark,  George  Rogers,   Captures 

Vincennes    14,  60 

Clark,  George  Rogers,  Patrick 
Henry's  aid  to  Clark. . .  .148,  149 

Clark,  H.  H 431,  442 

Clark,   N.    B 431.  442 

Clark,  William,  Lewis  and  Clark 

Expedition    302 

Clarkson,      Ralph,      Portrait 

Painter    396,   416,  420 

Clary  family   42 

Clary's  Grove,  near  New  Salem, 

111 42 

Clay,    Cassius   M.,    of   Kentucky 

104,   106 

Clay,   Henry    81,  304,  307 

Clayton-Bulwer  treaty    314 

Clayton,  John  Middleton,  Clay- 
ton-Bulwer Treaty.  Refer- 
ence   314 

Cliff e,  Adam  C.,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee.  Illinois 
Centennial  Commission.  ..  .26,  28 

Cliff   Dwellers,    Chicago 408 

Clinton   County,   111 137 

Cobb,    (Mrs.)    Harry 441 

Cochran,    (Judge)    W.    G.,    Suc- 
ceeds    James     H.     Miller     as 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, State  of  Illinois . .  340 
Cody,    William    F.,    "Wild    West 

Show"    399 

Coe,    Dorothy     426,   441 

Coe,   Edwin   A 425,   438 

Coe,   George  Edward 426,  439 

Coe,  Lauren  W 429,   444 

Coe,  Louise    437 

Coe,   Phoebe    426,   441 

Coe,  Rose  Alice 441 

"Coelum  Britannica,"  by  Carew 

406 

Cohen,  Barney    430,  437,  442 

Conn,    Leo    431,  442 

Cole,  Arthur  C.,  Illinois  Centen- 
nial History,  Vol.  3.  The  Era 
of  the  Civil  War,  1848-1878. 
Edited  by  Arthur  C.  Cole . . . 

34,   187,  445 

Coleman,  G.  A 431,  442 

Coles,    (Gov.)    Edward 

32,   61,   78,   211,   212,   259,   261, 
275,    277,    278,    279,    280,    282,   283 

Footnote    282 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Accom- 
panies General  Lafayette 
down  the  Mississippi  after  his 
visit  to  Kaskaskia 78,  283 


453 


PAGE 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Anti- 
slavery  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor of  Illinois 278 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Case  in 
Madison  County,  111.,  Coles  v. 

County   of  Madison 281 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Private 
Secretary  to  President  Madi- 
son    61 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Wash- 
burne,  Elihu  B.  Life  of  Ed- 
ward Coles  281,  282 

Footnote   282 

Coles,  (Gov.)  Edward,  Work  in 
behalf  of  keeping-  Illinois  a 
free  State.. 61,  211,  212,  259,  261 

Colgan,  Mary   425,  437 

Coliseum  State  Pair  Grounds — 
"Centennial  Masque  of  Aug. 
26,  and  Oct.  5  and  6,  given 

In    39,   421,   432 

Collimer,     (Senator)     Jacob     of 

Vermont    100 

Colorado  State,  Alfalfa  Crops.. 351 
Colorado  State,   Silver  Mines... 351 
Colored     Centennial     Chorus, 
under  direction  of  Prof  J.  A. 

Munday    295,   300 

Colp,  L/eon  A.,  Member  of  the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion   3,  21,  23,  422,  432 

Columbian   Exposition,    Chicago, 

1893    220,   424,   435 

Columbus,  Christopher   

77,  90,  145,   169 

Colyer,  Walter    377 

"Comus,"  by  John  Milton 407 

"Comus,"    Given    at    L  u  d  1  o  w 

Castle    407 

Concord,   Battle  of,  War  of  the 

Revolution 77,  264,  329 

Concordia     College,     Springfield, 

111 428,   440 

Condon,   Alice    424,    437,  441 

Condon,   T.    J 424,  437 

Congdon,    Carl    428,  439 

Conkling,   Clinton  L 422,   432 

Conkling,    Wm.    H 

422,   430,   432,   442 

Connecticut  State 32 

Connelly,  J.   F 425,   438 

Connolly,   Josephine    438 

Connor,  William  L 428,   439 

Conover,    (Miss)    June 441 

Conover,    (Miss)    Ruth 441 

Constant,    C.    R 425,  438 

"Constitution,"  Frigate,  Fight 
with  the  Guerriere.  War  of 

1812    152 

Constitution    of    1818,    State    of 

Illinois     

161,  278,  335,  336,  342,   368 

Constitution    of    1818,    State    of 

Illinois.      Extract    from 

161,    278,   335,    336,   342,  368 

Constitution    of    1848,    State    of 

Illinois     337 

Constitution    of    1870,    State    of 

Illinois    337,  341 

Constitutional    Convention,    1818, 

State  of  Illinois 

269,    285,    338,   368 


PAGE 

Constitutional  Convention,  State 
of  Illinois,  1824.  Defeated. 

Vote   on    279,   280 

Constitutional  Convention,  1920, 
State  of  Illinois.  Calling  of. 

Reference    337 

Constitutional  Convention,  State 

of    Massachusetts,    1780 160 

Constitutional  Convention,   1821, 

State  of  New  York 159,  160 

Constitutional  Conventions,  mile- 
stones on  the  road  to  Ameri- 
can Democracy  159 

Continental  Army    148 

Continental   Congress    148 

Converse,    Albert    C 425,  438 

Converse,   Harry    425,  438 

Cook     County,     111.,     Centennial 

Celebrations     379 

Cook,  Daniel  Pope,  Attorney 
General,  State  of  Illinois. 

Footnotes    208,  339 

Cook,  Daniel  Pope,  Editor  of 
the  "Western  Intelligencer".. 

208,   209,  339 

Cook,    (Miss)    Frances 431 

Cook,  Frank,  President  Spring- 
field Illinois  Masons'  Union.. 297 

Corfu,  Island  of 346 

Corn  well,  Willett  H.,  Member 
of  Advisory  Committee  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission.  .  26 

Coronado,  Francis  de 409 

Corson,   Frances    426,  441 

Corson,   R.   E 430,  442 

Corson,    R,    H 427,    441,   443 

Corwin,     Franklin,     Speaker    of 
the  House  of  Representatives, 
State  of  Illinois,  1867,  1869... 340 
Corydon,     Indiana,     Old     State 

Capital    171 

Costello,  Kate   438 

Cotton,   M 427 

Couralles,  A  Village  of  Lorraine. 

World  War    118 

Courland     203 

Coventry,    England,    Procession 

in   1678    399 

Crafton,    Bessie    426,   438 

Crafts,  Clayton  E.,  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives, 

State  of  Illinois,  1891 340 

Crane,    J.    B 430,   442 

Cresse,   George    426,   430,   442 

Cresse,    (Mrs.)    George.  ..  .426,  430 
Crews,     Halbert     O.,     Publicity 
Manager,     Illinois     Centennial 

31,   374, 

381,    394,    397,    422,    426,    432,   439 
Crews,     Halbert     O.,     Publicity 
Manager,    Illinois    Centennial. 

Report    ^  .  .  381-394 

Crisler,    (Judge)    A.   E 223 

Croix   de   Guerre,   World  War.  .266 

Cromwell,    Oliver 77,   122 

Cross   of    St.    Andrew 434 

Cross  of  St.  George,  Flag  of 
England.  .225,  229,  230,  316,  434 

Crugar,   J.    S 427,   438 

Cuba    430,   443 

Cullom,  Richard  M.,  Father  of 
Shelby  M.  Cullom 288 


45-i 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Cullom,    (Gov.)    Shelby  Moore.. 

288,   340 

Gulp,   H.   T 431,   442 

Culp,    Mary    Linn 426,   439 

Cumberland  Gap,  Kentucky....    85 

Cummings,    (Rev.)   J.  W 294 

Cummings,    (Mrs.) 427,   438 

Curran,  John  Philpot 81 

Curry,    Robert    429,   442 

Curtin,  (Gov.)  Andrew,  of  Penn- 
sylvania   103 

Curtis,  Edward  C.,  Member  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 
State  Senate  Centennial  Com- 
mission    26 

Curtis,    William    Eleroy 78 

Czar  Alexander  I.  of  Russia. 
Holy  Alliance  eminated  from 
mind  of  Czar  Alexander  I...  154 


Daigh,    Prances    425 

Daigh,  Helen  Ruth 425 

Dailey,  John,  Member  of  Cen- 
tennial Commission,  State 

Senate    19,  26 

Dailey,  John,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial Commission  26 

"Daimio's   Head"   Masque 408 

Dallman,    Betty    426 

Dallman,  (Mrs.)  Vincent  Y., 
Member  of  Springfield  Cast 
Committee  Centennial 

"Masque"    

391-396,   422,   432,    433,  441 

Damascus   348 

Danes  of  Slesvig 203 

Daniels,  (Hon.)  Josephus,  Sec- 
retary of  the  United  States 

Navy    290, 

291,    292,    293,    296,    298,    301-316 
Daniels,    (Hon.)    Josephus,    Ad- 
dress   dedication     Douglas 
Statue   State  House   Grounds, 

Oct.    5,    1918 301-316 

Daniels,    (Mrs.)    Josephus 290 

Dant6  Alighieri,  Comparison  of 
the  restless  Italian  cities  of 

his    day    164 

Darrah,     (Miss) 429 

D'Artaguette,    Pierre   239 

Dartmouth,  (Lord)  Sketch  of 
"Government  in  Illinoi  s." 

Quoted     66 

Darwin,    Charles  R 222 

D'Aubigne,    Jean    Henri    Merle, 

Historian    77 

D'Aubigny,     Error,     should     be 

D'Aubigne    77 

Daugherty,  M.  J.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion    20 

Daughters  of  Isabella 294,  296 

Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution 53,  363,  364,  380 


PAGE 

Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  Springfield,  Mark 
site  of  the  first  school  house 

in  Sangamon   County 380 

Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  Suggestions  for 
Centennial  work  in  marking 
historical  places  in  the  State.  .364 

Davenport,   O.   F 427,   438 

Davenport,    (Mrs.)   Oliver.. 427,   438 
Davidson,    Alexander,    Davidson 
&    Stuve    History    of    Illinois. 

Quoted 286 

Davidson    &    StuvS    History    of 

Illinois.     Quoted 286 

Davidson,    H.    B 427,   441 

Davis,  David,  of  Illinois 106 

Dawson,    Charles    426 

Dawson,    William,   M.   O Ill 

Day,    (Dr.)    J.    A 431,   432 

Day,   Lee    427 

Daysville,  Ogle  County,  111 400 

Dayton,     (Senator)    William    L. 

of  New  Jersey 100 

Deal,    (Mrs.)    Don 437 

Deaton,    Doris   437 

Decatur,       (Admiral)      Stephen. 

Quoted  on  "Our  Country". ..  .310 
Declaration  of  Independence.  . . 

130,    133, 

147,    177,    200,    223,    229,    246,   342 

DeFoe,    Daniel    . : 146 

DeFrates,    ( Mrs. )    Addie 444 

DeFreitas,   Joseph    441 

DeKalb   County,   111.,  Centennial 

Celebration.  Reference  .....378 
Delmore,  (Miss)  Mary.... 427,  438 
Deneen,  (Hon.)  Charles  S...52,  54 

Footnote    52 

DePron,    Louis,    Jr 431,   443 

Desch,    Louise    M 427,   438 

DeSoto,     Ferdinand,     Discoverer 

of  the  Mississippi  River 13 

Detroit,   Mich 60 

DeVillier,    (Capt.)    Neyon 239 

Dewey,    (Judge)    John   M 378 

DeYoung,  Frederick  R.,  Mem- 
ber of  Advisory  Committee 
Illinois  House  of  Representa- 
tives Centennial  Commission.  26 

Dickerman,    Street    426,  439 

Dickerson,    F.    R 431,   442 

Dickerson,    Ralph    430,   442 

Dickey,  (Father),  Early  Indi- 
ana Presbyterian  171 

Dickson,    Dorothy    426,   441 

Dickson,    (Adj.  Gen.)    Frank  S., 

State   of   Illinois 

259,   397,  424,   436 

Diefenthaler,   William    426,  438 

Diesing,   F 428,   440 

Dilks,    John    427 

Dirksen,   H.   A 422,   433 

Dobson,  G.  E 428,   439 

Dobson,  Paul    431,  442 

Dolan,    Ed 427,   438 

Dolan,  Margaret    427,  438 

Donaldson,    (Miss)    Helen 441 

Donelan,  Elizabeth   427,  438 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Donnybrook  Fair   161 

Dorr,    W.    A 431,   442 

Dorsey,    Marie    J 441 

Dorwin,   Caroline    427 

Douglas,    Robert    D.,    Grandson 

of  Stephen  A.   Douglas.  .293,   313 
Douglas,       (Hon.)      Robert      M., 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 

of  North  Carolina 313 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold 

51,   64,    66,   67,   68,   71,   72, 

92,  127,  163,  174,  178,  196, 
212,  220,  221,  262,  288,  289, 
292,  293,  295,  296,  305,  306, 
307,  308,  310-314,  315,  380,  390 
Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  At  the 
inauguration  of  President  Lin- 
coln   315 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Bill  to 
repeal  the  Missouri-Com- 
promise. Reference  212 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Con- 
ception of  American  expan- 
sion   313 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Con- 
tributions to  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois   311-312 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  De- 
fends Jackson's  right  to  de- 
clare martial  law,  War  of 

1812     306,  307 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Gives 
support  to  the  war  with 

Mexico     313 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Les- 
sons of  this  hour  drawn  from 

life  of   307 

Douglas,    Stephen    Arnold,    Lin- 
coln-Douglas  Debates,    1858.. 
174,    196,    212,    262,   289,    305,   380 
Douglas,    Stephen   Arnold,    "The 

Little    Giant"    220,   304 

Douglas,    Stephen  Arnold,   Mon- 
roe Doctrine  supported  by... 314 
Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Monu- 
ment,  Chicago,   111 292 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Pio- 
neer in  the  Internal  Improve- 
ment, State  of  Illinois 311 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold.  Quo- 
tation from  his  speech.  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Illinois, 

1861    311 

Douglas,    Stephen    Arnold. 

Quoted    on    patriotism.  .  .310,   311 
Douglas,    Stephen    Arnold. 
Quoted  on  slavery  in  the  terri- 
tories     163 

Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold,  Statue 
on  state  house  grounds  work 
of  Gilbert  P.  Riswold,  sculp- 
tor. Dedicated  Oct.  5,  1918.. 

51,   291,   295,   296,    298,   385 

Douglas,    Stephen    Arnold,    Sup- 
ports   Lincoln    in    the    trying 
days  of  the   Civil  War.. 308,   315 
Douglas,   Stephen  Arnold,  Jr... 313 


PAGE 

Douglas,  Virginia  Adams, 
Daughter  of  Robert  D.  Doug- 
las, places  wreath  on  statue 
of  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  .293,  298 

Dowell,   Ercell   437 

Downey,    Loretta    424,  437,   441 

Doyle,   Cornelius  J 424,   437 

Doyle,   Loretta    438 

Doyle,    Mary    Agnes 427 

Doyle,  May   427 

Doyle,   Nan    427 

Doyle,   Stasia 427 

Drake,    (Mrs.)   Frank 441 

Dramatic  School  of  the  Carnegie 
Institute  of  Technology,  Pitts- 
burg,  Pa 410 

"Drawing     of     the     Sword," 

Masque    408 

Dresch,    (Miss)    Helen 441 

Driscoll,   Margaret    437,  441 

Duncan,    (Gov.)   Joseph 

275,  276,   380 

Duncan,  (Gov.)  Joseph,  Home 
of  in  Jacksonville  marked 

1918    380 

Duncan,  Nicholas  W.,  Member 
of  Illinois  Centennial  Com- 
mission ; 20 

Dunne,    (Hon.)   Edward  F 

18,   20,   21,   52,   53,  65-73,  379 

Dunne,  (Hon.)  Edward  F.,  Ad- 
dress at  the  celebration  Illi- 
nois Day,  Dec.  3,  1917,  "The 

Orators  of   Illinois" 52,  65-73 

Dunne,  (Hon.)  Edward  F.,  Ap- 
points fifteen  members  of  the 

Centennial    Commission 18 

Dunne,  (Gov.)  Edward  F.,  Hon- 
orary member  of  the  Illinois 

Centennial   Commission    21 

Dunne,  (Hon.)  Edward  P.,  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission 

appointed  by  in  1916 20 

Durheim,    Albert    429,   440 

Durheim,   Anna    428,   440 

Durheim,   Minnie   428,  440 


Easley,  Frances  427,  438 

East  St.  Louis,  Race  Riots. 

Reference  217 

Eckel,  Samuel  425,  438 

Eckenrode,  H.  J.,  "Virginia  in 

the  Making  of  Illinois" 

134,  136,  144-153 

Eckland,  Oscar,  Member  of  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission..  20 

Eddy,  Henry  284 

Education,  Armour  Institute  of 

Technology,  Chicago  214 

Education,  Augustana  College, 

Rock  Island,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Blackburn  College, 

Carlinville,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Carnegie  Institute  of 

Technology,    Pittsburg,    Pa ... 

.., 409,  410 


456 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Education,  Chaddock  College, 
Quincy,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Chicago  Academy  of 
Fine  Arts  421 

Education,  Chicago  Normal  Col- 
lege   379 

Education,  Chicago  Parochial 
Schools  379 

Education,  Chicago,  University 
of  Chicago 21,  407,  428,  440 

Education,  Concordia  College, 
Springfield,  111 428,440 

Education,  Eureka  College, 
Eureka,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Harvard  College, 
Cambridge,  Mass 158 

Education,  Hedding  College, 
Abingdon,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Illinois  College,  Jack- 
sonville, 111 

79,  213,  214,  428,  440 

Education,  Illinois,  Enabling 
Act,  April  18,  1818,  Provisions 
for  education  213-215 

Education,  Illinois,  Jersey 
County  marks  site  of  the  first 
free  school  in  Illinois 380 

Education,  Illinois  State  Nor- 
mal   428,  440 

Education,  Illinois,  Sangamon 
County,  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  of 
Springfield,  mark  site  of  first 
school  house  in  Sangamon 
County  380 

Education,  Illinois,  University 

of  Illinois 17,  19,  20,  21, 

134,  136,  137,  185,  214,  407,  421 

Education,  Illinois  Woman's 
College,  Jacksonville,  111 .... 
428,  440 

Education,  Knox  College,  Gales- 
burg,  111 213,  214,  428,  440 

Education,  Lake  Forest  College, 
Lake  Forest,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Lombard  College, 
Galesburg,  111 428,  440 

Education,  Loyola  School  of 
Sociology,  Chicago,  111 260 

Education,  McKendree  College, 
Lebanon,  111 213,  428,  440 

Education,  Monmouth  College, 
Monmouth,  111 428,440 

Education,  Monticello  Female 
Seminary,  Godfrey,  111.. 428,  440 

Education,  New  York,  Univer- 
sity of  the  State  of  New 
York  332,  333,  344 

Education,  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, Evanston.  Ill 

21,  379,  401,  428,  440 

Education,  Oxford,  England, 
University  of  Oxford 399 

Education.  Sacred  Heart  Aca- 
demy, Springfield,  111... 294,  296 

Education,  Shurtleff  College, 
Upper  Alton,  111.  ...213,  428,  440 

Education,  Springfield,  111., 
Schools  360 

Education,  Sorbonne  of  France. .  207 


PAGE 

Education,  Turner,  Jonathan 
Baldwin.  Work  in  behalf  of 

education.     Footnote 214 

Education,     Wesleyan     College, 

Bloomington,    111 428,440 

Education,  Western  Reserve 
University,  Cleveland,  Ohio.  . 

135,  136 

Education,      Wheaton      College, 

Wheaton,   111 428,  440 

Education,  Yale  University,  New 

Haven,   Conn 134,  136,  400 

Edwards   County,    111 286,  377 

Edwards  County,  111.,  Centen- 
nial Committee  377 

Edwards,   Edith   E 425,   437 

Edwards,    (Gov.)   Ninian 

78,    289,    295,  339 

Edwards,    (Gov.)   Ninian,  Terri- 
torial  Governor  of  Illinois. .  .289 
Edwards,    (Gov.)    Ninian,   Third 
governor  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois     289 

Edwards,    Ninian    Wirt 78.  289 

Edwards  Place,   Springfield,  111. 

135,   136,   295 

Edwards    Place,    Springfield   Art 

Association     295 

Edwardsville,  111.,   Branch  Bank 

of   Illinois  located  in 286 

Eglin,  Loraine    427,  438 

Eglin,  Marie 427,  438 

Eglin   Theresa    427,  438 

Egypt    77 

Eigen,  August  M.,  Stage  Direc- 
tor, Chicago  Centennial  Page- 
ant   322 

Elkin,   Charles    427,  441 

Emancipation   Proclamation    ...178 

Emerson,   Ralph  Waldo 221 

Emmerson,    (Mrs.)    L.   L 53 

Enabling  Act,    State   of  Illinois, 

April   18,    1818 49,    134-222 

Encyclopedia,  Britannica   407 

Engelder,  Clara    428,  440 

Eng-land   13,   32,   77. 

113,    147,    217,    222,    225,    229,   316 
England,  Flag  of  England,  Cross 
of    St.    George,    Cross    of    St. 

Andrews 225,  229,  316,   434 

England,  House  of  Commons.  .  .147 

England,   Helen    437,   441 

England,   Mary  A 425,   437 

English  Colonies  on  the  At- 
lantic Seaboard  159 

English  Colony  near  Albion. 
Edwards  County,  111.,  located 

by  Birkbeck  and  Flower 

287,   338 

English  Prairie,  (Little  Britain), 

St.   Clair  County,  111 55 

English  Settlement  near  Albion, 

111 287,  338 

English,  Thomas    429,   442 

Ennis,  (Rev.)  Royal  W.,  Chair- 
man Committee  State  Wide 
Celebration  Centennial,  Illi- 
nois   360  . 

Ennis,  (Rev.)  Royal  W.,  Mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  Centennial 

Commission    

..3,  20,  21,   23,  297,  360,   422,   432 


INDEX 


457 


PAGE 

Episcopal    Church,    Christ   Epis- 
copal Church,   Springfield,  111.300 
Episcopal     Church,     St.     Peter's 
Episcopal    Church,    St.    Louis, 

Mo 295 

Erie  Canal,  finished,  in  1826 210 

Erler,    (Mrs.)    E.  F 441 

Ernst    Administration    v.    State 

Bank    Case.      Reference 288 

Ernst    Estate,    Fayette    County, 

111 288 

Ernst,  Ferdinand,  From  Han- 
over, Germany,  located  near 

Vandalia,  111 287,  288 

Eshlepp,  August 440 

Establishing  the  American  Col- 
onial System  in  the  Old  North- 
west. Address  by  Professor 

Elbert   Jay   Benton 

'.  .  135,  136,  I-XXIV 

Esthonia    203 

Eureka  College,  Eureka,  111 .... 

428,   440 

Europe 63,  97, 

131,    140,    145,    146,    154,   155,  205 

European  Congress,  1818 

153,   154,   155 

Evans,  Clyde,  Contractor  of  the 
great  stage  used  in  presenting 
Centennial  "Masque,"  Aug. 
26,  Oct.  5  and  6,  1918,  at  the 
Coliseum.  State  Fair  Grounds 

J396,   444 

Evans,  Mary    426 

Evans,    (Miss)    Ruby 135,137 

Everett,  F.  L 430,   442 

Evergreen    Cemetery,    Randolph 

County,    111 223 

Ewing,   R.  W 427,   441 

Ewing,    (Rev.)    T.  N..300,   332,   333 

Ewing,    William    L.    D 

276,    277,    288,  340 

Ewing,  William  L.  D.,  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, State  of  Illinois,  1830, 

1838    340 

Ewing,    William    L.    D.,    Offices 

held   by    276,   277 

Exposition.  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion, Chicago,  1893.. 220,  424,  435 


Fagan,    John    427 

Fahey,   Augusta    427 

Fairfield,    111 422,432 

Fallows,    (Bishop)    Samuel 

241,    243,    250,   254 

Falls  of  the  Ohio 233 

Fargo,   Wilbur    429,   440 

Farley,    ( Miss)    Earl 441 

Farlow,  Marie  E 424,  437,  441 

Farmer  (Justice)   William  M...260 
Farmers,    Roosevelt    quoted    on 

the    farmers    257,  258 

Farragut  (Admiral)  David  Glas- 
gow     248 

Farral,   Rose    427 

Fash.    A.    D 428,   439 

"Father    of    Waters,"    the    Mis- 
sissippi River 139,  226 

Faxon,    George   H 428,   439 


PAGE 

Fayette  County,  111 

30,    40,    259-289,    396,   397 

Fayette  County,  111.,   Centennial 

Celebration  at  Vandalia 

259-289,   396,  397 

Fayette  County,  111.,  Named  for 

General  Lafayette   283 

Fayette  County,  111.,  Vandalia 
and  Fayette  County  Centen- 
nial Celebration  259-289 

Felter,  George  C 430,  442 

Felter,  J.   S 427 

Federal  Constitution,  Adoption 
of  the  Federal  Constitution  in 

1788     14,   15 

Ferdinand,  King  of  Spain 77 

Ferguson,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Benjamin  Franklin  Ferguson 
Fund,  Art  Institute,  Chicago.  323 
Fergus  Suits,  Illinois  State  Com- 
missions, legal  status  ques- 
tioned    18 

Fergus    Suits,     Supreme    Court, 

State  of  Illinois 359 

Fernandes,   S 431,    439,  442 

Fernandes,  Simeon  ...426,  431,  439 

Ferreira,  J.   H 429,  442 

Ferreira,    (Mrs.)    Rosetta 429 

Fetzer,   Frances    427 

Feuerbacher,  Carrie   428,  440 

Field,    Marshal    214 

Field  Mass,  Held  on  the  grounds 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  Academy, 
Springfield,  111.,  Centennial  of 

the  State    294,  296 

Fields,    Romie    429,  442 

Fifer,    (Hon.)    Joseph  W 

52,    53,    59,  65 

Fifer,  (Hon.)  Joseph  W.,  Ad- 
dress, "Illinois  Day,"  Dec.  3, 
1917,  "Illinois  in  the  Civil 

War" 52,  59-65 

Finch,    J.    G.,    of    Connersville, 

Ind 170 

Finerty,  John  F 72 

Finley,    (Dr.)    John   H 

200,  207,  332.  333,  344,   355 

Finley,  (Dr.)  John  H.,  Centen- 
nial address,  Dec.  3,  1918... 

332.   333,   334-355 

Finley,  (Dr.)  John  H.,  "France 
in  the  Heart  of  America." 

Reference    207 

Finn,  Huckleberry,  Mark  Twain 

Character    167,  168 

Finn,   Lucille    426 

Finnigan,   Esther    441 

Fish,   George  A 427,   438 

Fishback,    R.    0 430,   442 

Fisher,  Angela    427,  438 

Fisher    (Miss)    Kate 441 

Fisher    (Miss)    Laura 441 

Fishman,    Myer    431,  442 

Fitch,  Helen    437,  441 

Fitch,  (Miss)  Lillian,  Assists  in 
the  presentation  of  Chicago 

Centennial  Pageant 322 

Fitch,   Marie    424,    437,  441 

Fitzgerald,    (Mrs.)    Arthur 437 

Fix,    John    427,  438 

Fixmer,   Jane    425,   437 

Flanders   Field,   France 201 


458 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Flanders  Field,  Poem  by  Lieut. 

Col.  John  McCrae 117,  118 

Fleming,    Wallie    428,  439 

Flentje,    (Dr.)    Robert  J...430,  442 

Fletcher,   Harry  E 431,  442 

Fletcher,  John,  English  Dram- 
atist and  Poet 406 

Flint,  Walter  R 

426,    43i;   439,   442 

Flint,   (Mrs.)  Walter  R 

426,    431,    439,  443 

Florida 77,  313 

Florida  and  Louisiana  Terri- 
tories   313 

Flower,   George    287,  338 

Flower,  George,  English  Colony 
located  near  Albion,  Edwards 
County,  111.,  by  Birkbeck  and 

Flower    287 

Flower,  Richard,  "Old  Park," 
Albion,  111.,  home  of  Richard 

Flower  marked   380 

Foch,    (Gen.)    Ferdinand 

58,   197,   202 

Fogarty,   Helen    426,  439 

Fogarty,  Isabella 427 

Fogarty,   (Mrs.)   J.  G 441 

Fogarty,  Mary 426,  439 

Fogarty,  William  J 427 

Ford,    (Gov.)    Thomas 

7,  273,  279,  295 

Ford,    (Gov.)    Thomas,    History 

of  Illinois 78,   273,  279 

Fort  Chartres   14,  198,  225 

Fort    Chartres,    Commanded    by 

the  British   14 

Fort   Crevecoeur    198,  208 

Fort  Dearborn  Massacre 322 

Fort   Donelson,    Battle   of,    War 

of  the  Rebellion   326 

Fort  Gage,  Defense  of  Kaskas- 

kia 60 

Fort  Gage,  Randolph  County, 
111.  Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank 
Orren,  Address  at  Fort  Gage, 

July  4,   1918 235,  236 

Fort    Gage,     Randolph    County, 

111.,   Pioneer  Cemetery 

49,  223,  225,   236 

Fort  Gage,  Randolph  County, 
Pioneer  Cemetery  at  Fort 
Gage,  Centennial  Observance 

held  in 49 

Fort   Massac    226 

Fort    Saint    Louis,     (Starved 

Rock)    198,    207,  208 

Fossett,   W.   T 431,  442 

Foster,  Irene 427,  438,  441 

Foster,    J.    A 431,   442 

Foster,  M.  D 27 

Foster,   William    427 

Foutch,    Anne    H 425 

Fox,     Charles     James,     English 

statesman     229 

Frame,  Luther  R..  Manager  of 
the  Associated  Press  Bureau. 38 2 

France 13,  32,  77,  86,   97, 

110,  113,  114,  115,  119,  140, 
154,  201,  207,  222,  225,  230, 
231,  239,  263,  282,  326.  330,  443 
France,  Finley,  (Dr.)  John  H., 
"France  in  the  Heart  of 
America"  207 


PAGE 
France,    Flag   of   France,    Fleur 

de  lis  225 

France,    Forefathers   of,    empire 

builders     205 

France,  Return  of  Alsace-Lor- 
raine to  France 203,  204 

France,  World  War,  Cost  in 
men,  supplies,  crops,  coal, 

fields,    etc 201 

Franco-Prussian  War 282 

Franklin,  Benjamin    273 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  quoted  on 
those  who  have  no  landed 

property    159 

Franklin  County,  111.,  Centennial 

Celebration     37S 

Franklin  County,  111.,  Marks  site 
of  the  first  church  in  the 

county     380 

Franklin,  111 294 

Frazee,    (Dr.)    C.  A 422,  432 

Fredericksburg,    Battle   of,   War 

of  the  Rebellion 126 

Freedom  and  Glory,  March 
Written  for  the  Centennial 
Celebration,  by  Edward  C. 

Moore    137 

Freeing  of  Illinois,  (The),  Cen- 
tennial Poem,  by  Wallace 

Rice     233,   234 

Fremont,  John  C 100,  102,  111 

French  and  Indian  War...  147,  225 
French,    (Gov.)   Augustus  C....288 

French  Coureurs  du  bois 218 

French,  Daniel  Chester,  Sculp- 
tor of  the  Statue  of  "The 
Republic,"  in  Jackson  Park, 

Chicago   ....379 

French,    Elizabeth     426,  439 

French  established  no  enduring 
settlements  in  the  Mississippi 

Valley    207 

French,   George    426,  439 

French  names  given  to  cities, 
forts  and  towns  in  Illinois. .  .198 

French  Revolution   202 

French  Settlers  in  Illinois 205 

French,  World  War,  men  killed 

in  battle   201 

Friedmeyer,  Charlotte   428,  440 

Friedmeyer,  Katherine   

425,  428,  437,   440 

Frisch,  Jacob,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee  Illinois 
House  of  Representatives, 

Centennial    Commission    26 

Fuller,   Allen    C 78,  340 

Fuller,  Allen  C.,  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral, State  of  Illinois,  1861- 

1865    .340 

Fuller,  Henry  B.,  Contributor  to 
Volume  5  of  the  Centennial 
History  187 


Gaede,   Fred    429,   440 

Gafflgan,  Helen   427 

Gaffigan,   Margaret 427,  438 

Gafflgan,  Mary 427,   438 

Gafflgan,   Nellie    427,   438 

Gaffney,  Randolph  B 430,  442 


INDEX 


459 


PAGE 

Galena,  111 63 

Gallagher,    Kathleen   1 424 

Galliopoli    118 

Gardner,  Frances 437 

Garner,  J.  W.,  Member  of  Cen- 
tennial Commission  ...17,  19,  22 

Gaudlitz,   Robert    429,   440 

Gauker,  C.   A 428,   439 

Gautier    (Father),    (Sieur  de  la 

Vgrendrye)     182 

Gedman,    Julia    437 

Geist,    Joseph    438 

Gentryville,  Ind 177 

George  &  Reazer 444 

George,  E.    G 429,   442 

George,    Griffith    428 

George,   Herbert  W 425,  437 

George,  The  Third  of  England.  .229 
German  Reichstag1  ...202,  203,  204 

Germany     

..58.   114,   120,   131,  162,  165,  171 
Germany,    Exiled   liberals   from, 
the   "Forty-eighters"    come   to 
Illinois  and  the  Middle  West.  162 
Germany,     German     municipali- 
ties  better  administered   than 

American    cities    165 

Gettysburg,  Pa 118,  315,  327 

Gettysburg,    Battle   of,    War    of 

the  Rebellion  327 

Gettysburg,  Speech  of  Abraham 

Lincoln.     Quoted   315,  321 

Gibault,  Pierre   169,  190,  191 

Gibbon,  Edward,   Historian 77 

Gill,   Emma    443 

Gill,  Gladys    443 

Gochenover,  Norval   397 

Goebel,  Gola 429,  440 

Goebel,   H 440 

Goering,    Margaret    428,  440 

Golden,   Helen    438 

Golden,  (Adams  County),  111., 
Masque  of  Illinois  given  in.  ..377 

Goodell,    Helen    425 

Goodell,  Walter  G.  .Writer  of 
Music  for  Chicago  Centennial 

Pageant    322 

Goodman,     Kenneth     Sawyer, 

"Masque  of  East  and  West". 408 
Goodman,     Kenneth    Sawyer, 

Pageant  Writer 401,  408 

Gorman,  Al  F.,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial  Commission 26 

Gorman,  Alice   425,  437 

Gorman,  Catherine   .......427,  438 

Gorman,  Josephine   437,  441 

Gorman,  (Miss)  Theresa,  Mem- 
ber of  Springfield  Cast  Com- 
mittee Centennial  "Masque".. 

39,  396,  422,   433 

Gorman,  Thomas  N.,  Member 
of  Advisory  Committee,  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission..  26 

Gott,   Lester    430,  442 

Graham,    Catherine    426,  439 

Graham,  Charles   425,  439 

Graham,    Clara    426,  439 

Graham,  Hugh    

424,    425,    426,    437,  439 

Graham    ( Mrs. )    Hugh 441 


PAGE 

Graham,    James    426 

Graham,    James    M 422,  432 

Graham,    Mary    426 

Grand  Army   of  the  Republic. . 

..  .35,    40,   53,    221,    294, 

299,    363,    364,    372,    378,    427,   441 
Grand    Army    of    the    Republic, 
National    Commander,    Clare- 
don    E,   Adams 40,    294,  299 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Stephenson  Post  No.  30,  G. 

A.    R 427,   441 

Grannemann,    Mayme    ....429,  440 

Grant,    (Mrs. )    Nellie 441 

Grant,    (Gen.)    Ulysses    S 

63,  67,   77,  93,  129,  213, 

215,   221,   282,   308,    309,   326,   390 

Great  Britain    

151,    154,   155,   313,    314,   443 

Great  Lakes    148,    262,  319 

Grebe,  Frank   425,  439 

Greece    429,  443 

Greek  Church    398 

Greeley,   Horace    

..77,  102,  103,   104,   111,   126,   132 
Greene,  Evarts  Boutell,  Member 
of  Centennial  Commission .... 

3,  17,  19 

20,    21,    22,    23,    33,    78,    422,  432 
Greene,    Evarts    Boutell,    Chair- 
man   Publication     Committee, 
Illinois     Centennial     Commis- 
sion        33 

Greene  Family    42 

Green  Mountains    310 

Greensboro,   N.   C 293,  313 

Green  up,  William  C.,  Surveyed 
the  original  town  of  Van- 

dalia    273 

Greleski,   John    425,  439 

Grierson,     Francis,     "Lincoln 

Country."     Reference   351 

Griffin,  Genevieve  E 424,   437 

Griffith,    George    439 

Griffiths,    Helen    425 

Groesch,    C.   N 427,   438 

Groesch,  Edna   427,  438 

Groth,  Frank 428,  429,  440 

Groth,    (Mrs.)    F 440 

Groth,    Louis    429,  440 

Groth,    Olga    429,  440 

Grundy  County,   111.,   Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Grundy,   W.    Sidney 429,  442 

Guatemala     430,  443 

Guerriere,  Fight  with  the  Con- 
stitution. War  of  1812.  Ref- 
erence   152 

Guest,  Isaac 426,  427,  440,  441 

Guest,  R.  Albert 39, 

299,    396,    422,    426,    433,    437,   439 
Guest,    R.    Albert    Member    of 
Springfield     Cast    Committee, 

Centennial  "Masque" 

39,  396,  422,   433 

Guizot,    Francois,    Pierre    Guil- 

laume.    Historian    77 

Gulick,    Fred    429,  442 

Gulick,  F.  0 430,  442 

Gullett,   Bettie    426,  441 

Gullett,  James  M 431,  442 


460 


H 

PAGE 

Haas,    (Mrs.)    E.   C...426,   430,   439 

Haas,    E.    L 128,   439 

Hahn,    Fred    425,   439 

Haig,    (Marshal)    Sir  Douglas..    58 
"Hail  Illinois,"  Centennial  Song, 

by  Wallace   Rice 413 

Haines,   James,    Speaker   of   the 
House    of    Representatives, 

State   of  Illinois,   1885 340 

Haiti    430,  443 

Hall,    Gertrude    426,  438 

Hall,    Frank    A 430,  442 

Hall,     (Judge)     James,     Illinois 

Magazine,  published  by 285 

Hall,    (Judge    ) James,   Vandalia 
and    its    advantages.      Article 

by   Judge  Hall 285,  286 

Hallihan,    Katherine    438 

Hallihan,  Margaret  S 437 

Hallihan,    Marie   T 425,  438 

Hamilton,   Alexander 

62,  63,  77,   159,  235 

Hamilton,     Alexander.       Quoted 
on  those  who  have  no  landed 

property    159 

Hamilton,  George    425,  438 

Hamilton,   (Sir)  Henry.  English 
Governor    of    the     Northwest 

Territory    60 

Hamilton,      (Col.)      William     S., 

Son  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  .282 
Hancock    County,     111.,     Icarian 
Community     in     Hancock 

County    55,  56 

Hancock   County,    111.,   Mormons 

in  Hancock  County,  111 55 

Hancock,    (Gen.)    Winifred  S...308 

Hanks,   Dennis    177 

Hanks,  Nancy,  Mother  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln    170 

Hanover,   Germany    287 

Hanratty,    (Miss)    Bessie.. 427,  441 
Hansen,       Nicholas,       Contested 
election     in     Illinois     Legisla- 
ture,   1823     279 

Hansen-Shaw     Contest     Illinois 

Legislature,   1823    279 

Hardin,    (Col.)    John   J 92,   288 

Harl,    Susie    437 

Harmes,    Fred    425,   438 

Harmes,    Paul    425,   438 

Harnsberger,   Luella    438 

Harris,  A.   B 439 

Harris,   Bertha    438 

Harris,  E.   B 426,   430,   442 

Harrison,      ( Gov. )      William 

Henry   169,   173 

Hart,  A.  A 428,   439 

Hart,    (Miss)    Irene 438,   441 

Hartmann,    Katherine   N 

437,   424,   441 

Hartwell,  D.  T.,  Member  of  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission.  . 

3,  21 

Hartwell,    (Mrs.)    J.   F 441 

Harvard      College,      Cambridge, 

Mass 158 

Hatcher,    Hildred     425,   437 

Hatcher,    Mary    Jane 426 


PAGE 

Hay,    Alice     427 

Hay,  Logan,  Member  of  Cen- 
tennial Commission,  State 
Senate...  17,  19,  22,  422,  432,  433 
Hay,  (Mrs.)  Logan,  Member  of 
Springfield  Committee  on  Cos- 
tumes, Centennial  "Masque" 

39,   395,   422,   433 

Hay,    Mary    Douglas 425 

Hayes,    Michael    441 

Haynes,    Harry   J 

426,    431,    439,    442 

Haynes,    (Mrs.)    Harry   J 

426,   431,  439 

Hauberg,   John  A.,   Rock  Island 

Fife  and  Drum  Corp 431,   443 

Heady,   B.  W 430,   442 

Hearn,    Campbell    S.,    Death    of, 

at  Quincy,  111.,  Aug.  28,  1914.    18 
Hearn,     Campbell     S.,     Member 
First  Illinois  Centennial  Com- 
mission     17,    18,    19,  30 

Hearn,  Campbell  S.,  Resolution 
introduced  by,  in  the  Senate 
for  creation  of  a  commission 
to  plan  Illinois  Centennial  ob- 
servance    17 

Hearn,  Campbell  S.,  Work  in  be- 
half of  the  Centennial  observ- 
ance of  the  State 18 

Hedding  College,  Abingdon,   111. 

.7 T. ......428,   440 

Heidler,   Samuel  H.  . 430,   442 

Heimlich,    (Mrs.)    Mary  Q 444 

Helmle,    (Mrs.)    Ernst 441 

Helmle,    (Mrs.)    Franz 441 

Helmle,   G.   V 429,  442 

Helmle,  Henry,  Architect  plans 
great  stage  used  in  present- 
ing Centennial  "Masque,"  at 
Coliseum,  Aug.  26,  Oct.  5 
and  6,  1918,  State  Fair 

Grounds 39,   396,  431,  444 

Helmle,  Herman 427 

Henderson  County,  111.,  Centen- 
nial Celebration.  Reference . . 

378 

Hening's    Virginia    Statutes    at 

Large.     Quoted  274 

Henkes,    H.    C 430,442 

Hennepin,    (Father)    Louis 

66,   207,   434 

Henry  County,  111.,  Scandinavi- 
an Settlement  in 55 

Henry,     Patrick,     Governor     of 

Virginia    

60,    77,   147,    148,    149,   150 

Henry,  Patrick,  Governor  of 
Virginia.  Aids  George  Rogers 

Clark    148,   149,   150 

Henry,  (Gov.)  Patrick,  Instruc- 
tions to  John  Todd,  Jr., 
County  Lieut.  Illinois  as  a 

county  of  Virginia 150 

Hercz,  Arthur,  Writer  of  Cen- 
tennial Pageant  given  in 

Chicago     322 

Hercules    169 

Herman,     (Miss)     Henrietta.  ..  .441 
Hermitage,   (The),  Home  of  An- 
drew Jackson   85,  307 

Herndon.  William  H 175 

Herzer,    Charlotte    428,   440 


INDEX 


461 


PAGE 

Herzer,    Margaret    428,  440 

Hey,  W.  A.  J 429,  442 

Hickey,    Henry    427 

Hickey,    (Very  Rev.)    Timothy.  .294 

Hickox,    Louise    425,   437 

Higgins,   Bessie    427,   438 

Higgins,    (Mrs.)    Mae 427 

Higgins,    Marion    436,  437 

Hill,    C.    Monroe 431,  442 

Hill,    H.    B 431,   442 

Hillsboro,    111 284 

Hilmer,    (Miss)    Lucy 441 

Hington,    (Mrs.)    J.   W 427,  438 

Hoffman,   Alma    429,  440 

Hoffman,   Louis    428,   440 

Hogan,    Anna    427 

Hogan,    Cecelia    437,  441 

Hogland,    M.    B 427,438 

Holahan,   Maurice    426,  439 

Holland     157 

Holliday,    (Mrs.)   Viola  E..427,  438 

Holmes,  Sherlock   190 

Hoist,    Hermann    Edward    Von., 

Historian     77,   289 

Holy  Land   353 

Hqlzenheimer,  Von.,  German  boy 
in     hospital,     referred    to     by 

Roosevelt    249 

Homberg,    W.    0 430,  442 

Honduras 431,  443 

Horn,    Walter    J 429,   442 

Horton,   Home  of  John  Milton.. 407 
Howard,    (Miss)    Mary  Jane.  ..441 

Howey,   Margaret    426,  441 

Hudson,    Charles    424,    437,  444 

Hudson,  J.  B 429,  442 

Hudson,  (Miss)  Mary  441 

Hudson,  (Mrs.)  429 

Hug-hes,  Edward  J.,  Member  of 

Advisory    Committee,     Illinois 

Senate  Centennial  Commission  26 

Hughes,   Edward   J.,   Member  of 

Centennial   Commission,    State 

Senate     19,   26 

Hughes,    Nellie    441 

Hull,  Morton  D.,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory     Committee,       Illinois 
Senate  Centennial  Commission  26 
Humboldt.      Friedrich      Henrich 

Alexander,    Von    313 

Humphrey,    Grace    78 

Humphrey,       (Judge)       J      Otis, 
President    Lincoln    Centennial 

Association 78,  94,   96 

Kurd,    W.    S 428,   439 

Huston,    John,    Member  of   Cen- 
tennial Commission,  House  of 
Representatives   ...17,  19,   20,  22 
Hutchinson,    Charles    L.,    Presi- 
dent Art  Institute,   Chicago.. 323 
Hynes,  W.  J 72 


I 

Icarian  Community  in  Hancock 
County,  111 55,  56 

lies,  (Miss)  Bertha  L.,  Assists 
in  the  presentation  of  the 
Chicago  Centennial  Pageant.  .322 

Illini,   (The),  By  Clark  E.  Carr.   78 

Illinois  College,  Jacksonville. . . 
79,  213,  214,  428,  440 


PAGE 

Illinois   Country    

13,   14,    148,   172,   190,  274 

Illinois  Country,  British  posses- 
sion of,  less  than  fifteen  years 
14 

Illinois  Country,  Discovered  by 
the  French  and  held  posses- 
sion by  them  for  a  hundred 
years  13 

Illinois  Country,  Number  of  in- 
habitants in  1766 172 

Illinois  State,  Admitted  to  the 
Union,  Dec.  3,  1818.  Centen- 
ary observed  14,  29,  49,  51 

Illinois  State,  Anniversary  of 
the  admission  of  the  State, 
Dec.  3,  observed,  ninety-ninth 
anniversary  49 

Illinois  State,  Arbor  Day,  Cen- 
tennial tree  to  be  planted.  .40,  41 

Illinois  State,  Art  Commission. 
416,  420 

Illinois  State,  Bancroft,  Edgar 
A.,  Centennial  address,  "Illi- 
nois— The  Land  of  Men" .... 
135,  137,  206-222 

Illinois  State  Bank,  Branches  at 
Edwardsville,  Brownsville  and 
Shawneetown  286 

Illinois  State  Bank,  Created 
1821  286 

Illinois  State  Bankers'  Associa- 
tion   361,  365,  386 

Illinois  State  Bankers'  Associa- 
tion, active  in  Centennial  ob- 
servances   365 

Illinois  State  Bankers'  Associa- 
tion, Centennial  address  by 
Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr 386 

Illinois  State,  "Black  Laws"  of 
Illinois  278,  280,  281 

Illinois  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture cooperates  with  the  Cen- 
tennial Commission  387 

Illinois  State,  Boggess,  Arthur 
Clinton,  Settlement  of  Illinois 
283 

Illinois  State,  Bond,  Shadrach, 
First  Governor  under  State- 
hood    29 

Illinois  State,  Boundaries.  .  139,   195 

Illinois  State,  Boundaries  of,  as 
amended  by  the  bill  in  Con- 
gress 1818,  work  of  Nathaniel 
Pope  195 

Illinois  State,  Boys  in  the  World 
War  328,  330 

Illinois  State  Capital,  Agita- 
tion over  the  removal  of,  from 
Vandalia  275,  276 

Illinois  State  Capital,  Location 
of  the  first  Capital 270,  271 

Illinois  State  Capital,  locations 
suggested  285 

Illinois  State  Capitol  Building, 
Present  one,  laying1  of  corner 
stone,  Oct.  5,  1868 37,  271 

Illinois  State  Capitol  Building, 
Vandalia,  First  one  burned 
Dec.  9,  1823 275 

Illinois  State  Capitol,  Corner 
stone  of  present  Capitol  laid 
Oct.  5.  1868 37,  271 


462 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Ad- 
dress by  Edmund  J.  James.. 
134,  136,  137-143 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Ad- 
dress by  Governor  Frank  O. 
Lowden,  Illinois  Day,  Dec.  3, 

1917    54-55 

Illinois    State    Centennial,    Ad- 
visory   Committee    appointed, 
from    the    Senate    and    House 

of    Representatives,    members 
of    26 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Anni- 
versary of  the  Centennial 
year,  to  be  observed 29,  49 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Au- 
bert,  (Hon.)  Louis,  A  Mes- 
sage from  France 

135,   137,   197-206 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Ban- 
ner or  Flag 370,  386,  414-415 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Ban- 
ner or  Flag,  Act  creating.  . . . 

414-415 

Description 414 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Build- 
ing. See  Centennial  Memorial 
Building. 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Build- 
ing Commission,  Created  by 
the  Forty-fourth  General  As- 
sembly    36 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Bulle- 
tins   361,  366,  367,  374,  384 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Bur- 
lington, Iowa,  H  a  w  k  e  y  e. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial 389 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Can- 
cellation stamp  used  by  Post 
Office,  Springfield,  111.,  during 
Centennial  year  387 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Cart- 
wright,  (Hon.)  James  H.,  Ad- 
dress, "The  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois"  322,  333,  341-344 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Cele- 
brations, Official,  list  of  dates 
to  be  observed,  and  places 
where  celebrations  are  to  be 
held  49-51 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Chi- 
cago celebration,  Oct  3-13, 

1918    322-331 

Illinois    State    Centennial    Cele- 
brations,   History    of    Illinois 

to  be  emphasized,  also 

patriotic  in  character 

367,  369,  370,  372 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Cele- 
brations, Randolph  County 
celebration  223-240 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Cele- 
brations, Sangamon  County 
Committee  '.  39 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Cham- 
wood,  (Lord),  Address,  dedi- 
cation Lincoln  Statue.  . .  .317-321 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Chi- 
cago Pageants  379 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Churches  cooperate  with  the 
Centennial  Commission,  Oct. 
6,  1918,  Centennial  Sunday.  . 
380,  388 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Clos- 
ing observance,  Dec.  3,  1918.  . 
332-355 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Colored  Centennial  Chorus .  . . 
295,  300 

Illinois  State  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  Commercial  Asso- 
ciations active  in  the  interest 
of  the  State's  Centennial.  ..  .365 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission   3,  9, 

13-16,  17-28,  44,  45,  50,  51,  363 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Act  creating 

9,  13-16,  17-28,  44-45 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, appointed  by  Gover- 
nor Dunne,  1916 20 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, changes  in  the  organ- 
ization    18 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Committees  or  divis- 
ions. Chairmen  and  members 
21,  22 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Governor  Dunne  ap- 
points fifteen  members 18 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, First  one,  members. 
17,  18 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission observe  centenary  of 
the  inauguration  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois   51,  241-258 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission observe  Independence 
Day  at  Chester,  111... 50,  223-240 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission observe  Lincoln's 

Birthday,  Feb.  12,  1918 

50,  94-133 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Patriotic  societies 
cooperate  with  in  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Centennial 363 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Report  of  the  Com- 
mission   13-28 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Com- 
mission, Special  Committee  on 
Invitations  28 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Con- 
stitutional Convention  propo- 
sition advocates  of,  cooperate 
with  the  Centennial  Commis- 
sion   388 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  County 
celebrations  throughout  the 
State  377,  378 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Daniels,  (Hon.)  Josephus, 
Address  of,  dedication  of 
Douglas  Monument,  State 
House  grounds  301-316 


INDEX 


463 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Dates,  important  ones,  ob- 
served   375 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  suggestion  for  or- 
ganization and  marking  his- 
torical places  in  the  State... 364 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Enabling  Act,  April  18,  1818, 
Anniversary  to  be  observed. . 
49,  134,  222,  388 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
State  Fair  and  Industrial  Ex- 
position   387 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
County  fairs  cooperate  with 
the  Centennial  Commission.  .387 

Illinois  State  Colleges,  Feder- 
ation of  Colleges,  active  in 
the  interest  of  the  Centen- 
nial of  the  State 365 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Field  Mass,  Sacred  Heart 
Academy,  Springfield,  111.294,  296 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Finley,  John  H.,  Centennial 
address,  Dec.  3,  1918 344-355 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
First  Constitution  of  the 
State,  centenary  of,  Aug.  26, 
1918,  observed  241-258 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
First  General  Assembly,  Oct. 
5,  1818.  Anniversary  to  be 
observed  49 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Flag1 
or  Banner,  designed  by  Wal- 
lace Rice 387,  414,  415 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Folder  "The  Illinois  Centen- 
nial" issued  1917 386 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Good  Roads  promoters  co- 
operate with  Centennial 
Commission  388 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
"The  Governors  of  Illinois." 
Souvenir  Governor's  Day 
Banquet,  Dec.  3,  1917 386 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  His- 
toric places  marked  during 
1918  380 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  His- 
toric spots  in  the  State,  sug- 
gested to  be  marked 373 

Illinois  State  Centennial  His- 
tory, By  Clarence  W  Alvord 
179-104,  445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  His- 
tory, Preliminary  volume,  Illi- 
nois in  1818 

33,  191,  285.  384,  445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  His- 
tory, Research  work  in  the 
preparation  of  185,  186 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Hymn, 
By  Wallace  Rice 7,  298.  299 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Invi- 
tation sent  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States  to  at- 
tend observance  of  Oct.  5, 
1918  .27 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Letter 
sent  by  the  Centennial  Com- 
mission urging  the  organiza- 
tion of  County  Centennial 
Associations  410—412 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Lin- 
coln's birthday  observance. 94— 96 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Local 
and  county  Centennial  asso- 
ciations    30 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Low- 
den,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren. 
The  Illinois  Centennial. .  194-196 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Magill, 
Hugh  S.,  Jr.  Report  to  the 
Illinois  Centennial  .Commis- 
sion, Dec.  31,  1918 359-381 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  March. 
By  Edward  C.  Moore 137 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  "The 
Masque  of  Illinois.  The 
Pageant  of  the  Illinois 
Country,  by  Wallace  Rice.  .39, 
41,  290,  296,  366,  371,  421-444 

Illinois  State  Centennial 
Masque,  Aug.  26,  Oct.  4  and 
6,  given  in  Coliseum,  State 

Fair  Grounds    

39,    290,    296,    421,   444 

Illinois      State      Centennial 
Masque  of  Illinois.     Programs, 
Aug.  26,  Oct.  4  and  5,   1918.. 
421-444 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial Building 35,  36, 

37,    51,     290,    291,    296,    297,   373 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial Building,  Appropria- 
tions for,  plans,  building, 
etc 36 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial Building,  Departments 
to  be  located  in 37 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial Building,  Laying  of 
the  corner  stone,  Oct.  5, 
1918.. 37,  51,  290,  291,  296,  297 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial Building,  Governor 
Lowden's  address  at  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone,  Oct. 
5,  1918  291 

Illinois    State    Centennial    Me- 
morial    History,     Edited     by 
Clarence    Walworth    Alvord. . . 
33,  34,  135,  136,  179-194,   445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Preliminary 
Volume,  "Illinois  in  1818," 

edited  by  Solon  J.  Buck 

33,    191,    285,    384,  445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Vol.  I,  "The 
Illinois  Country,"  1673-1818. 
Edited  by  Clarence  Walworth 
Alvord  34,  445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Vol.  II, 
"Pioneer  State,"  1818-1848. 
Edited  by  Theodore  Calvin 
Pease 187,  445 


464 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Vol.  Ill,  "The 
Era  of  the  Civil  War." 
Edited  by  Arthur  Charles 

Cole     187,   445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Vol.  IV.,  "The 
Industrial  State,"  1870-1893. 
Edited  by  Ernest  Ludlow  Bo- 
gart,  and  Charles  Manfred 

Thompson    187,   445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Me- 
morial History,  Vol.  V.,  "The 
Modern  Commonwealth,"  1893 
-1918."  Edited  by  Ernest 
Ludlow  Bogart,  and  John 

Mabry   Mathews    187,   445 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Monu- 
ment in  Logan  Square,  Chi- 
cago, dedicated  Oct.  13,  1918 

322,    323-331,379 

Illinois     State     Centennial, 

Moore,   Edward   C.,    Composer 

of  the  Centennial  Music. 7,  38, 

137,    241,    393,    402,   423,    433,   441 

Illinois    State    Centennial,    New 

Salem  Pageant   41-43 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  News 
letters  sent  to  all  the  daily 
and  weekly  newspapers  in  the 

State    383,384 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  News- 
paper comments  388-394 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Ob- 
servance of  the  centenary  of 
the  establishment  of  the  State 
Government,  Oct.  5-6,  1918.. 

290-321 

Illinois  State  Centennial  observ- 
ances honored  by  representa- 
tives from  foreign  countries. .  32 
Illinois  State  Centennial  Observ- 
ance, Governor  Lowden's 
message  to  Fiftieth  General 

Assembly    .' 25 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Observ- 
ance, "Masque  of  Illinois," 

by   Wallace   Rice 

241,    290,    296,    366,    371,    424-441 
Illinois  State  Centennial  Observ- 
ance, 1918.       Preliminary....    13 
Illinois    State    Centennial,    Pub- 
licity   material    389 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Observ- 
ance, should  be  observed  not- 
withstanding the  World  War 

24,   25 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Observ- 
ances, Oct.  5,  6,  1918,  Spring- 
field, 111.  Programs 

290-321,   421 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Oglesby,  (Lieut  Gov.)  John 
G..  Centennial  address,  "The 
Office  of  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor"  332,  333,  335-337 

Illinois     State    Centennial,     Old 

Salem  Pageant   377 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Or- 
ganizations active  in  promot- 
ing celebrations  365 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Pageant  and  Masques.  Wal- 
lace Rice  selected  as  official 

Pageant   writer    37,   38 

Illinois     State     Centennial, 

Pageant  at  Old  Salem 41-43 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Pageant  at  Starved  Rock, 

July  4,  5,  6,  1918 376 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Patriotic  union  service  held 

at  the  State  Arsenal 295,  296 

Illinois  State  Centennial.  Plans 
for  State-wide  celebrations. 
See  report  of  Hugh  S.  Magill, 

Jr.,    Director    374 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Post- 
ers  384,  387,  415-421 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Post- 
ers, Prizes  awarded 421 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Press 
of  the  State  cooperates  with 
the  Centennial  Commission . . . 

374,   375,   381,  382,   385 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Pro- 
mulgation of  the  first  State 
Constitution,  Aug.  26,  1818. 
Anniversary  to  be  observed. . 

29,  49,  50 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Pub- 
licity report  by  Halbert  O. 

Crews    381-394 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Re- 
ception Governor's  Mansion . . 

295,  296 

Illinois    State    Centennial,    Rice, 

Wallace,   Pageant  writer 

27,   38,  223 

225,    226,    236,    263,    371,    421,   441 
Illinois  State  Centennial,  Roose- 
velt,     (Col.)      Theodore,     Ad- 
dress,   Centennial   Celebration, 

Aug.    26,   1918 243-258 

Illinois     State     Centennial,     St. 

Clair    County    Celebration, 

Perrin's  Park,  Belleville,  111.. 377 

Illinois     State     Centennial,     St. 

Louis  Globe  Democrat  quoted 

on     388 

Illinois   State   Centennial,    Scrap 

books    376 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  Shana- 
han,  (Hon.)  David  E.,  Cen- 
tennial address,  "The  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, State  of  Illinois" 

332,  333,  338-341 

Illinois     State     Centennial,     Six 

Little  Plays,  by  Wallace  Rice. 366 
Illinois    State    Centennial,    Song, 

"Hail    Illinois"    413 

Illinois  State  Centennial  Sun- 
day, Oct.  6,  1918.  Churches 

observe    388 

Illinois    State    Centennial,    Tree 

planting,  a  Centennial  Tree. 40— 41 
Illinois    State    Centennial,    Van- 
dalia     and     Fayette     County 

celebration    259-289 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  "Van- 
dalia  and  the  Centennial." 
Address  by  Justice  Orrin  N. 
Carter  269-289 


INDEX 


465 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Centennial,  "The 
Wonderful  Story  of  Illinois." 
By  Miss  Grace  Owen. 3 8,  366,  409 

Illinois  State  Centennial, 
Youngstown,  Ohio  Vindica- 
tor. Newspaper.  Quoted  on 
the  Centennial 389 

Illinois  State,  Cities,  towns  and 
forts  named  for  Frenchmen.  .198 

Illinois  State,  Coles.  Edward. 
Work  in  saving  Illinois  from 

becoming  a  slave  state 

61,  261,  262 

Illinois  State  Constitution  of 

1818,  State  of  Illinois 

161,  278,  335,  336,  342,  368 

Illinois  State  Constitution  of 
1818,  Extract  from 161 

Illinois  State  Constitution  of 
184S,  State  of  Illinois 337 

Illinois  State  Constitution  of 
1870,  State  of  Illinois.  .337,  341 

Illinois  State  Constitutional 
Convention  1818,  held  in  Kas- 
kaskia 269,  285,  338,  368 

Illinois  State  Constitutional 
Convention,  State  of  Illinois, 
1824.  Defeated,  vote  on. 279,  280 

Illinois  State  Constitutional 
Convention.  1920,  State  of 
Illinois,  calling  of.  Refer- 
ence   337 

Illinois  State,  County  of  Vir- 
erinia.  Governor  Henry's  in- 
structions to  John  Todd.  Jr..  150 

Illinois  State  Council  of  De- 
fense  322.  377.  379.  395 

Illinois  State  Council  of  De- 
fense cooperates  with  the  Cen- 
tennial Commission  879 

Illinois  State  Council  of  De- 
fense, Woman's  Committee. .  .395 

Illinois  State.  Dartmouth, 
(Lord),  "Sketch  of  Govern- 
ment in  Illinois."  Quoted...  66 

Illinois  State,  Davidson  & 
Stuve.  History  of  Illinois. 
Quoted  286 

Illinois  State,  Development  in 
acrioulture,  commerce  and 
population  66 

Illinois  State,  Dunne,  (Hon.) 
Edward  F.,  Address  at  the 
celebration  Illinois  Day,  Dec. 
3,  1917,  "The  Orators  of 
Illinois"  65-73 

Illinois  State,  Early  education 
in  192 

Illinois  State,  Early  immigrants 
to  142,  143,  173 

Illinois  State.  Eckenrode.  H.  J. 
Virginia  in  the  making  of 
Illinois  134,  136,  144-153 

Illinois  State,  Education.  Col- 
leges founded  previous  to  the 
Civil  War 428,  435,  440 

Illinois  State.  Education,  pro- 
visions in  the  Enabling  Act, 
April  18,  1818 213 

—30  C  C 


PAGE 

Illinois  State,  Education.  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois 

17,  19,  20,  21, 

134,    136,    137,    185,    214,    407,  421 

Illinois  State,  Educational  Build- 
ing Commission  created  by 
Forty  -  seventh  General  As- 
sembly    35 

Illinois  State,  Emigration  to ... 
142,  143,  173 

Illinois     State,      Enabling     Act, 

April    18,    1818 

..29,  122,  134,   222,   367,   375,   392 

Illinois  State  Enabling  Act, 
Centenary  of,  April  18,  1918, 
observed  50,  134-222 

Illinois  State  Enabling  Act. 
April  18,  1818.  Exceptional 
and  far-seeing  provisions  in.. 2 11 

Illinois  State  Enabling  Act, 
April  18,  1818.  Signed  by 
President  Monroe 208 

Illinois  State,  Exiled  liberals 
from  Germany,  the  Forty- 
eighters,  come  to  Illinois 
and  the  Middle  West 162 

Illinois  State  Fair  Board  co- 
operates with  the  Centennial 
Commission  372 

Illinois  State  Farmers'  insti- 
tute active  in  Centennial  ob- 
servances   365 

Illinois  State,  Fifer,  (Hon.) 
Joseph  W.  Illinois  in  the  Civil 
War.  Address,  Illinois  Day, 
Dec.  3,  1917 59-65 

Illinois  State,  First  Constitu- 
tion, centenary  of  Aug.  26, 
1918  241-258 

Illinois  State,  First  General 
Assembly,  Oct.  5,  1818 29 

Illinois  State,  First  General 
Assembly,  Second  Session, 
convened  in  Kaskaskia,  Jan. 
18,  1819  339 

Illinois  State,  Ford,  Thomas, 
History  of  Illinois.  Quoted.. 
279 

Illinois  State,  Forefathers  were 
empire  builders 205 

Illinois  State,  French  in  Illinois 
59,  205 

Illinois  State,  General  Assembly, 
48th,  resolution  introduced  in 
by  Senator  Hearn  to  create 
Commission  to  observe  cen- 
tenary of  the  State 17 

Illinois  State,  General  Assembly, 
Tenth,  1836.  Prominent  men 
in  288 

Illinois  State  Hardware  Deal- 
ers' Association,  active  in  Cen- 
tennial observances  365 

Illinois  State,  Historical  Col- 
lections   78,  273 

Footnote    282 

Illinois  State  Historical  Library 
394,  417 

Illinois  State  Historical  Library, 
Centennial  posters,  winners 
of  the  prize  posters  in  Lib- 
rary   417 


466 


PAGE 

Illinois  State  Historical  Resume 

by  Horace  H.  Bancroft 

381,  386,  445 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society 

17,  19,  20, 

139,  144,  180,  182,  283,  334,  388 

Illinois  State  Historical  Society 
observes  centenary  of  the  Illi- 
nois Enabling  Act,  April  18, 
1918  134-222 

Illinois  State,  Histories  of. 
Reference  78 

Illinois  State,  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, Speakers  of.  See 
Shanahan,  David  E 338-341 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  a  county 
of  Virginia 14 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  and  Mich- 
g-an  Canal  210 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  and  the 
war.  Poem  by  Wallace  Rice, 
read  at  celebration  of  Illinois 
Day,  Dec.  3,  1917 52,  53 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  and  the 
War.  Centennial  poem  by 
Wallace  Rice 52,  53,  91-93 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  311 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  in  1818. 
Preliminary  Volume  Centen- 
nial Memorial  History,  edited 

by  Solon  J.  Buck 

33,  191,  285,  384,  445 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  in  the 
Civil  War.  By  Hon.  Joseph 
W.  Fifer.  Address,  Illinois 
Day,  Dec.  3,  1917 59-65 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  in  the 
Democratic  Movement  of  the 
Century.  By  Allan  Johnson.. 
134,  136,  153-166 

Illinois  State,  .Illinois  Intelli- 
gencer, 1825.  Quoted  on  La- 
fayette's visit  to  Illinois 283 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  Magazine, 
edited  by  James  Hall 285 

Illinois  State,  "Illinois."  Song 
by  Charles  H.  Chamberlain.. 
297,  371 

Illinois  State,  "Illinois"  —  The 
Land  of  Men."  Centennial 
address,  by  Edgar  A.  Ban- 
croft  135,  137,  206-222 

Illinois  State,  Illinois,  Wabash, 
Indiana  and  Vandalia  land 
companies  273 

Illinois  State,  Illinois  Woman's 
College  428,  440 

Illinois  State.  Inauguration  of 
the  first  Governor.  Shadrach 
Bond,  Oct.  6,  1818 29 

Illinois  State,  Increase  in  popu- 
lation and  wealth 209,  210 

Illinois  State,  James,  Edmund 

J.  Centennial  Address 

134,  136.  137-143 

Illinois  State,  Johnson,  (Prof.) 
Allen,  "Illinois  in  the  Demo- 
cratic Movement  of  the  Cen- 
tury"  134,  136.  153-166 

Illinois  State  Journal,  News- 
paper. Quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois 393 


PAGE 

Illinois  State,  LaFayette's  visit 

to  Illinois.  Reference 

196,  198,  235,  236,  282,  283,  435 

Illinois  State,  "The  Land  of 
Men."  Centennial  address  by 
Edgar  A.  Bancroft 206-222 

Illinois  State  Legislative  experi- 
ments. Reference  164 

Illinois  State,  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernors. See  address  of  John 
G.  Oglesby  335-337 

Illinois  State,  Lincoln  Abraham. 
Anniversary,  one  hundredth 
of  the  birth  of  Lincoln  ob- 
served    15 

Illinois  State,  Male  adult  suff- 
rage adopted  161 

Illinois  State,  Meaning  of  our 
name,  "Illinois,  the  Land  of 
Men"  208 

Illinois  State,  Medical  College, 
first  one,  site  of,  marked 
in  Jacksonville,  111 380 

Illinois  State  Medical  Society 
active  in  Centennial  observ- 
ance   365 

Illinois  State,  Menard,  Pierre, 
First  Lieutenant  Governor, 
State  of  Illinois 196  ,336,  337 

Illinois  State,  Military  Tract... 287 

Illinois  State,  Moses,  John,  His- 
tory of  Illinois,  quoted.. 285,  288 

Illinois  State,  Music  Teachers 
Association  active  in  Centen- 
nial observances 365 

Illinois  State,  Name  of,  breathes 
the  thought  of  a  new  world.  .152 

Illinois  State,  New  England 
settlers  in  Illinois 151 

Illinois  State,  New  York  State 
emigrants  to  Illinois 151 

Illinois  State,  Ninety-ninth  an- 
niversary, Governor  Lowden's 
proclamation  23.  24 

Illinois  State,  Observance  of 
anniversary,  Dec.  3,  1917.... 
52-93 

Illinois  State,  Observance  Cen- 
tennial address.  Bancroft, 
(Hon.)  Edgar  A.,  Centennial 
address 135,  137,  206-222 

Illinois  State,  Orators  of  Illi- 
nois. See  address  by  Gover- 
nor Dunne,  Dec.  3,  1917... 65-73 

Illinois  State,  Part  of  Indiana 
Territory  172 

Illinois  State,  Part  of  North- 
west Territory  60,  288 

Illinois  State,  Patriotic  songs 
written  by  Illinoisans 371 

Illinois  State,  Pennsylvania 
State,  emigrants  from,  to  Illi- 
nois   151 

Illinois  State,  Pioneers  of  Illi- 
nois   55-59,  219,  338 

Illinois  State,  Pioneers  in  the 
southern  part  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  ancestry 338 

Illinois  State,  Pooley,  William 
Vipond,  Settlement  of  Illinois 
Quoted 284 


INDEX 


467 


PAGE 

Illinois  State,  Pope  Nathaniel. 
Introduces  bill  in  Congress 
asking  admission  of  Illinois 
into  the  Union 29 

Illinois  State,  Pope,  Nathaniel. 
Work  in  behalf  of  saving  the 
northern  boundary  of  the 
State 195,  339 

Illinois  State,  Prairie  State 

13,  32,  38 

Illinois  State,  Prairies  of  Illi- 
nois..?, 57,  66,  139,  140,  143, 
144,  152,  157,  158,  162,  167, 
168,  169,  170,  172,  205,  206, 
208,  209,  218,  351,  352,  354,  434 

Illinois  State,  Prairies  of,  des- 
cription   351 

Illinois  State,  Press  Association 
active  in  the  interest  of  the 
State  Centennial  365 

Illinois  State,  Problems  of  the 
future  for  the  State 216-222 

Illinois  State,  Promulgation  of 
the  Constitution,  Aug  26,  1818, 
centenary  of  observed.  .29,  49,  50 

Illinois  State  Register,  Centen- 
nial edition  385 

Illinois  State,  Retail  Clothiers' 
Association  active  in  Centen- 
nial observances  365 

Illinois  State,  Rice,  Wallace, 
Poem,  "The  Freeing  of  Illi- 
nois"   233-234 

Illinois  State,  Rice,  Wallace, 
Poem,  "Illinois  and  the  War" 
52,  53,  91-93 

Illinois  State,  Sandham,  William 
R.,  Articles  on  the  Governors 
of  Illinois.  Centennial  con- 
tribution   384,  385 

Illinois  State,  Sherman,  (Hon.) 
Lawrence  Y.,  "The  Frontier 
State."  Address  Illinois  Day, 
Dec.  3.  1917 55-59 

Illinois  State,  Shoe  Dealers'  As- 
sociation active  in  Centennial 
observances  365 

Illinois  State,  Slavery  issue  in 
173,  211-213 

Illinois  State,  Slavery  question 
in,  leaders  173 

Illinois  State,  Stage  fare  in  an 
early  day  in 284 

Illinois  State,  Stage  lines  in  an 
early  day  in 284 

Illinois   State,   "Sucker   State".. 345 

Illinois  State  Sunday  School  As- 
sociation active  in  Centennial 
observances  365 

Illinois  State  Supreme  Court... 

72,    135,    260,    278,    281. 

284,    288,    290,    332,    333,    341-344 

Illinois  State  Supreme  Court, 
Centennial  address  by  Judge 

James  H.   Cartwright 

332,  333,   341-344 

Illinois  State  Supreme  Court, 
Judges  of,  since  1848,  elected 
by  the  people 344 

Illinois  State,  Transportation  in 
an  early  day  in  Illinois 283 


PAGE 

Illinois  State,  University  of  Illi- 
nois   17,  19, 

20,  21,  134,  136,  137,  346,  407,  421 

Illinois  State,  Virginia's  share 

in  the  making  of  Illinois 

134,  136,  144-153 

Illinois  State,  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion, gift  of  men,  etc 88 

Illinois  State,  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion, Illinois  leaders  in.  ...215 

Illinois  State,  Wealth  of  the 
State  in  agriculture,  mines 
and  manufactures,  etc 61 

Illinois  State,  Women's  clubs, 
State  federation,  active  in 
Centennial  observances 365 

Illinois  State,  Women's  clubs, 
State  federation  of,  give  Cen- 
tennial Pageant  in  Auditori- 
um, Chicago  379 

Illinois  State,  World  War,  Illi- 
nois boys  in... 265,  266,  267,  268 

Illinois  State,  World  War,  Illi- 
nois part  in 215 

Illinois  State,  World  War, 
Rainbow  Division  266 

Illinois  State,  Yates,  (Hon.) 
Richard.  Address,  Illinois 
Day,  Dec.  1917,  "Illinois  To- 
day"   73-91 

Illinois  State,  Yields  corn  for 
the  world  351 

Illinois  Territory  

157,  195,  208,  209,  392 

Illinois  Territory,  Bill  in  Con- 
gress authorizing  the  people 
to  form  a  Constitution  and 
State  Government  195 

Illinois  Territory,  Western  In- 
telligencer, newspaper,  Illinois 
Territory.  Edited  by  Daniel 
P,  Cook  , 208,  209 

Independence  Day  Pageant, 
1915  401 

India   145,   205,  317 

Indian  corn   156,   210 

Indian  villages    207 

Indiana  State  

14,  15,  32,  60,  135, 

136,  168,  171,  173,  174,  273,  401 

Indiana  State,  Admitted  to  the 
Union,  1816  15 

Indiana  State  Centennial,  1916. 
168,  401 

Indiana  State  Centennial  at 
Fort  Wayne,  1916 401 

Indiana  State  Gazette,  News- 
paper published  at  Corydon, 
1819.  Reference 171 

Indiana  State,  Illinois,  Wabash, 
Indiana  and  Vandalia  Land 
Companies  273 

Indiana  State,  "Indiana's  in- 
terest in  historic  Illinois." 
Address  by  Charles  W.  Moores 
135,  136,  166-179 

Indiana  State,  Moores,  Charles 
W.,  Indiana's  interest  in  his- 
toric Illinois 135,  136,  166-179 

Indiana  State,  Part  of  the 
Northwest  Territory  60 


468 


PAGE 

Indiana  State,   Slavery   question 

in     173,   174 

Indiana    Territory    339 

Indians 59,    142,   144,   181, 

182,    207,    208,    209,    210,    219, 
269,    272,    370,    398,    434,    435,   436 
Indians,      Black      Hawk      War, 

1832 182,    369,    435,   436 

Ingersoll,  Robert  G 72 

Inman,    (Capt.)    J.   B 427,   441 

"Integer     Vitae,"      by     Horace. 

Reference     93 

International    Pictures    Film 

Service    382 

Ireland    32,   348,  443 

Iroquois     County,    111.,     Centen- 
nial celebrations.     Reference. 

37§ 

Irving',  Washington,  Historian! '.  77 

Irwin,  (Mrs.)  D.  H 443 

Irwin,  Edward  F 428,  439 

Irwin,  Wash 427,  441 

Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain 77 

Isthmian  Canal  313,  314 

Italy 92,  97, 

113,  115,  141,  201,  327,  346,  443 
Italy,  France's  aid  to  in  World 

War  201 

Italy,  Thomas  Nelson  Page, 

Ambassador  to  Italy 146 


Jackson,  (General)  Andrew.... 

62,  77,  85,  128,  129, 

157,  177,  301,  302,  303,  310,  312 

Jackson,  (General)  Andrew, 
Fined  for  contempt  of  court. 
306,  307 

Jackson,  Andrew,  "Old  Hick- 
ory"   302,  303,  305 

Jackson,  Andrew,  Stephen  Ar- 
nold Douglas  defends  Jack- 
son's right  to  declare  martial 
la.w,  War  of  1812 306,  307 

Jackson,  Andrew,  Veto  of  the 
National  Bank  charter.  .305,  306 

Jackson,  Andrew,  War  of  1812. 
306 

Jackson,    (Mrs.)   Cecil 441 

Jackson  Park,  Chicago,  Statue 
of  "The  Republic"  unveiled  in 
Jackson  Park,  May  11,  1918 
379 

Jacksonville,  111 43,  79 

284,  306.  380,  392,  421,  422,  432 

Jacksonville,  111.,  Centennial 
celebration  377 

Jacksonville,  111.,  Courier,  News- 
paper quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois 392 

Jacksonville,  111.,  Duncan, 
(Gov. )  Joseph,  Home  of,  in 
Jacksonville  marked  380 

Jacksonville,  111.,  Illinois  College 

located  in  

79,  213,  214,  428,  440 

Jacksonville,  111.,  Medical  Col- 
lege, First  one  in  Illinois,  site 
of,  marked  at  Jacksonville.  .  .380 

Jacobs,    (Miss)    Corrinne 441 

Jacobs,    (Miss)    Elsie 441 


PAGE 

Jacobs,    (Miss)    Louise 441 

Jageman,     (Miss)     Helen 430 

Jageman,    (Miss)    Margaret.  ..  .430 

Jageman,  William  H 430,  442 

James,  Edmund  J..21,  23,  421,   432 
James,     Edmund     J.,     Honorary 
Member    of    the    Illinois    Cen- 
tennial   Commission    21,   23 

James,  Edmund  J.,  "The  Illinois 

Centennial,"  address   

134,   136,   137-143 

James,  Edmund  J.,  Member  of 
the  Illinois  Centennial  Com- 
mission  3,  17,  19,  21,  22,  23 

James,  (Prof.)  James  A.,  Hon- 
orary Member  of  the  Illinois 

Centennial    Commission    

_    21    23    78 
James,    R.    E. .....'......  .428,  *439 

James,  Russel   428 

Jamestown,    Va.,    English    settle 

in    59 

Jansen,  Jens  C 323 

Janssen,  (Miss)  Elizabeth 441 

Janssen,  (Miss)  Flora 441 

Japan  443 

Jayne,    Billy    Lou 426,   439 

Jayne,    Margaret    E 426,  439 

Jayne,  William  Louis 

426,    431,    439,   443 

Jefferson  County,  111.,  Centen- 
nial celebration.  Reference.  .378 

Jefferson,    Roy    T 430,   442 

Jefferson,  (Pres.)  Thomas... 77, 
85,  147,  149,  150,  173,  277,  302 

Jenks,    C.    H 428,439 

Jennings,     (Gov.)     Jonathan,    of 

Indiana     173 

Jepson,    Mary    C 424,   437 

Jericho    347 

Jersey    County,    111.,    Centennial 

celebration.      Reference    378 

Jersey  County,  111.,  marks  site 
of  the  first  free  school  in 

Illinois     380 

Jerseyville,   111 31 

Jerusalem     347 

Jewish    Church,    Temple    B'rith 

Sholem,   of   Springfield,   111... 300 
Jewish  Historical  Society,  marks 
the    site    of    the    first    Jewish 
Tabernacle    in    the    State    in 

Chicago     380 

Joan    of   Arc 169 

Joffre,  (Gen.)  Jacques  Joseph 
Cesaire,  Hero  of  the  Marne. . 

197.   198,   331 

Johnson,    (Prof.)    Allen,    Illinois 
in   the   Democratic   Movement 
of  the  Century. .134.  136,  153-166 
Johnson,    (Pres.)    Andrew.. 83,   288 
Johnson,     (Pres.)    Andrew,    Im- 
peachment trial.     Reference.  .    83 

Johnson,    Ben    406 

Johnson,    E.    S 427,  441 

Johnson,  Harry   430,  442 

Johnson,  Henry  W.,  Member  of 
first  Centennial  Commission 

State  Senate   17,   19,  22 

Johnson,    Ida    426,   438 

Johnson,    (Dr.)    Samuel 404 

Johnson,  Senator)  Reverdy,  of 
Maryland  84 


INDEX 


469 


PAGE 

Johnson,  William  J 78 

Johnston,    Dorothy    427,   438 

Joliet,   Louis    91,   196, 

198,    199,    207,    235,    322,    423,   434 

Jones,    Clarence    428,  439 

Jones,    (Mrs.)    Clarence 441 

Jones,    (Rev.)    Edgar    DeWitt..298 

Jones,    (Mrs.)    Emma 427 

Jones,    (Rev.)    James 170,  171 

Jones,   James    426,  439 

Jones,  James  A 429,  444 

Jones,    J.    R 430,   442 

Jones,    (Miss)    Margaret 441 

Jones,    (Mrs.)    P.   E 443 

Jones,  Sarah   441 

Jones,   Walter    430,  442 

Joppa     347 

Jose,    W.    B 428,439 

Journals    of    the    United    States 

Congress    273,  274 

Judson,    Harry    Pratt,    Member 

Illinois  Centennial  Commission 

3    21    23 
"Just    Before    the    B  a.  t{t  1  e 

Mother,"    Song   by   George  F. 

Root     371 


K 

Kalb,  I.   Franklin 431,  444 

Kane  County,  111.,  Centennial 
Celebration  378 

Kane,  Earl    427,   438 

Kansas  State,  Legislative  ex- 
periments. Reference  164 

Kaskaskia,  111 14,  29, 

49,  50,  59,  60,  66,  171,  172, 
207,  223-240,  242,  243,  267, 
282,  283,  322,  339,  369,  375,  435 

Kaskaskia,  Clark,  George  Rog- 
ers, Captures  Kaskaskia,  July 

4,  1778  14, 

29,  50,  60,  171,  172,  226,  234,  375 

Kaskaskia,  Centennial  Celebra- 
tion held  at  Chester  and  Fort 
Gage  49,  223 

Kaskaskia,  First  Constitutional 
Convention,  State  of  Illinois, 
held  in,  Aug.,  1818 269,  368 

Kaskaskia,  First  General  As- 
sembly, State  of  Illinois,  con- 
vened in  Kaskaskia,  Jan.  18, 
1819  339 

Kaskaskia,  First  State  Capital 
of  Illinois  269 

Kaskaskia,  Flags  of  France, 
England  and  the  United  States 
floated  over... 225,  226,  227,  322 

Kaskaskia,  LaFayette's  visit  to, 
1825 235,  236,  282,  283,  435 

Kaskaskia,  An  Ode,  by  Wallace 
Rice  225,  226,  236,  240 

Kaskaskia,  Under  the  French 
and  English 225,  226,  227 

Kaskaskia.  Western  Intelli- 
gencer. Newspaper,  pub- 
lished in  Kaskaskia 208,  209 

Kaskaskia  River  

270,  271,  272,  285,  286 

Kasserman,  John,  Member  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 
Centennial  Commission  26 


PAGK 

Kauffman,    (Mrs.)    439 

Kautz,   Kathryn    438 

Kavanaugh,  Frank    430,  442 

Keays,   Elizabeth    425 

Keck,   Chas.  A 431,  442 

Keely,   Ella   B 425,  437 

Keely,   Margaret  A 425 

Keisacker,  Frank  T 428,  439 

Keithley,    H.    H 441 

Keller's   American    Hymn 298 

Keller,     Kent     E.,     Member     of 
Centennial   Commission,    State 

Senate   19 

Keller,     Kent     E.,     Member     of 
First    Centennial    Commission 

17,  22,   359 

Kelly,    Edward   P 431,  442 

Kelly,    Katherine    427 

Kelly,   Lucy    427 

Kendall  County,   111.,   Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Kennedy,  Ollie   427,  438 

Kenney,    George   W 424,  437 

Kenney,    (Mrs.)    Geo.    W..426,  430 
Kent,   James,   Chancellor   of  the 

State  of  New  York 160 

Kenton,   Simon    57 

Kentucky  State 57,  62,   339 

Kentucky     State     Admitted     to 

the   Union,    1792 15 

Kessler,    C.   W 430,  442 

Keys,     (Mrs.)     George 437,  441 

Kienzele,    (Mrs.)    Paul 443 

Kikendall,    Delia    425,  437 

Kincaid,    Fred    C 428,  439 

Kincaid,    Lee    428,   439 

King,  James  I.,  of  England. ..  .406 

Kingsbury,    Paul    S 424,  437 

Kinnear,    (Dr.)    T.    J 431,  442 

Kircher,    G.    P 430,442 

Kirkwood,    (Gov.)    Samuel    Jor- 
dan,   of    Iowa 103 

Kline,    M.    C 431,   442 

Klingbell,   E 429 

Klump,    Fred    430,   442 

Knights  of  Columbus 294 

Knox   College,   Galesburg,   111 ... 

213,    214,    428,   440 

Knox     County,     111.,     Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference   378 

Knox,  James   427 

Koehn,    (Mrs.)    Geo.  E 441 

Koenig,  Marie 422,  438,  441 

Kohlbecker,    (Mrs.)    John.. 427,  438 

Koopman,    Aline    428,   449 

Koopman,   Louis 428,   429,  440 

Kraft,  Arthur   297,   298,  332 

Krick,    Lester     430,  442 

Kuhlman,   John    427,  438 

Kuhlmann,    Herr   Von 203,  204 

Kunz,   Lawrence    425,  439 


Lady  Godiva   399 

LaFayette,    (Gen.)    Marie    Jean 
Paul      Roche      Yves      Gilbert 

Metier   

196,  198,  200,  206,  207, 

229,    235,    236,    282,    283,    322,   435 
LaFayette.    America's    debt    to 
LaFayette     206 


470 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

LaFayette,  (Gen.),  Fayette 
County,  111.,  named  for  Gen- 
eral LaFayette  283 

LaFayette,   ( Gen. ),  Pershing 

lays  a  wreath  at  tomb  of. . .  .207 
LaFayette,     ( Gen. ),    Visit    to 

America,  1825    282 

LaFayette,     ( Gen. ) ,    Visit    to 

Illinois,   1825.     Reference.  196, 

198,    235,    236,    282,    283,    322,   435 

LaFayette,      (Gen.),      Visit      to 

Kaskaskia.     Scene  in  Chicago 

Centennial  Pageant   322 

LaFayette,     ( Gen. ) ,    Visit    to 

Shawneetown,  111 283 

Lake     County,     111.,     Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Lake  County,  111.,  First  Post 
Office  in  Lake  County,  at 

Libertyville,  marked   380 

Lake    Forest    College,    Lake 

Forest,   111 428,  440 

Lake  Michigan    

139,    195,    196,    209,  214 

Lambert,    Leon    426,   439 

Lamon,    Ward    122,  126 

Land  Companies,  Illinois,  Wa- 
bash,  Indiana,  and  Vandalia 

Land    Companies    273 

Land,    F.    A 428,439 

Landis,      ( Judge)      K  e  n  e  s  a  w 

Mountain     311 

Lane,  (Gov.)  Henry  S.,  of  In- 
diana   103,  106 

Lanes,  Henry    406,   407 

Langdon,  William  Chauncy, 
"The  Sword  of  America," 

Masque 409 

Lanphier,   Chas 426 

Lanphier,  Robert  C.,  Member  of 
Sangamon  County  Centennial 

Committee    39,    422,  432 

Lanphier,  (Mrs.)  R.  C.,  Mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  on  Cos- 
tumes, Centennial  Masque... 

39,  395,  422,  433 

Lanz,  Simon  E.,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial   Commission    26 

LaRose,  Margery   425 

LaSalle,  111 59 

LaSalle,    Ren6   Robert    Sieur   de 

59,   66,  91,  196, 

198,    199,   207,    235,    238,    423,   434 
Lauterbach,    Florence    ....428,  440 

Lauterbach,  Lucy   428,  440 

Lawler,    (Miss)    Alice    G.  .427,  441 

Lawler,   Anna    427 

Lawler,    Margaret    427 

Lawrence,    Curtis    E 429,  442 

Lawrence,   Thomas    431,   442 

Layendecker,   Christine    ...427,  438 

Layendecker,   Jacob    427,  438 

Leach,   Miles  A 428,  439 

League  of  Nations,  World  War 

206,   252 

League  to  Enforce  Peace 252 

Lebanon,   111 137 

Lebanon,  111.,  McKenclree  Col- 
lege, located  in 213,  428,  440 

Lecompton  Constitution,  Doug- 
las opposition  to 312 


PAGE 

Lee  County,   111.,   Marks  site  of 

old   Block    House 380 

Lee,  (Gen.)  Robert  E.,  Confed- 
erate General,  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion    77 

Leeder,    Elizabeth    437 

Legg,   F.    M 430,  442 

Lehne,  Arthur    428,  439 

Leib,    (Dr.)    J.    R 424,437 

Leib,    (Mrs.)    J.   R 437 

Leidel,    H.    A 430,442 

Leider,  Elizabeth   441 

Leland  Hotel,  Centennial  Lun- 
cheon   298 

Leland  Hotel,  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois Day,  Dec.  3,  1917.  Ban- 
quet held  in 53 

Leland,  W,   S.,  Archivist 35 

Lemen,    James,    Anti-Slavery 

leader    173 

Lester,  W.   A 425,  438 

Letter  sent  by  the  Centennial 
Commission  urging  the  organ- 
ization of  County  Centennial 

Associations     410-412 

Levasseur,  Armand,  Private 
Secretary  to  General  La- 
Fayette   283 

Lewis,  J,  Hamilton,  United 
States  Senator  from  Illi- 
nois   32,  72 

Lewis,     Meriwether,      Lewis     & 

Clark   Expedition    302 

Lewis,    Warren    425,  438 

Lexington,    Battle    of.      War    of 

the   Revolution 77,    264,  329 

Lexington,   Ky 84 

Liberia    ...443 

Liberty,  (Adams  County),  111., 
"Masque  of  Illinois,"  given 

in     377 

Libertyville,  111.,  First  Post 
Office  in  Lake  County  at 
Libertyville,  111.,  site  of 

marked    380 

Libka,    Hilda    428,  440 

Lidman,    (Miss)    Lillian. .  .431,  444 

Lieber,  Francis   116 

Lincoln,   Abraham    

15,  29,  32,  33,  34, 

35,  41,  42,  43,  50,  63,  66,  67, 
68,  71,  72,  76,  78,  92,  93,  94, 
96,  97,  98-107,  121-123,  163, 
165,  168,  173,  174,  175,  176, 
177,  178,  179,  193,  196,  197, 
200,  212,  213,  215,  216,  219, 
221,  222,  244,  245,  247,  252, 
254,  255,  262,  282,  288,  289, 
292,  293,  294,  295,  299,  301, 
302,  303,  304,  305,  308,  309, 
315,  317-321,  324,  331,  339, 
346,  351,  367,  375,  380.  390,  435 
Lincpln,  Abraham,  Anniversary 
of'  birth  of,  celebrated  by 
Lincoln  Centennial  Associa- 
tion and  Centennial  Commis- 
sion, Feb.  12,  1918 

29,    50,    94,   96 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Arnold,  Isaac 

N.     Lincoln  and  Slavery 78 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Birthday 
Observance.  Centennial  Com- 
mission. Program 96 


INDEX 


471 


PAGE 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Captain  in 
the  Black  Hawk  War 42 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Carter,  Orrin 
N.,  Lincoln  the  Lawyer 78 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Charnwood, 
Lord,  Address  at  the  Unveil- 
ing of  the  Lincoln  Statue, 
State  House  Grounds,  Oct.  5, 
1918  317-321 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Charnwood's 
Life  of  Lincoln 316 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution  in 
Bloomington,  111.,  mark  place 
where  Lincoln  made  his 
famous  "Lost  Speech" 380 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation  178 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Extract 
from  Speech,  Independence 
Hal!,  Philadelphia  320,  321 

Lincoln,    Abraham,    Gettysburg 

Address.     Reference    

247,   315,   316 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Grierson, 
Francis,  "Lincoln  Country".  .351 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial, Lincoln's  Birthday 
Observance  94-96 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Illinois  ob- 
serves one  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  birth  of  Lincoln.  .  15 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Inaugural 
Address.  Quotation  from.... 309 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Johnson, 
William  J.,  Lincoln  the  Chris- 
tian    78 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Law  Firms 
he  was  connected  with  in 
Springfield,  111 179 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Life  of,  in 
New  Salem  42 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Lincoln- 
Douglas  Debates,  1858 

174,    196,    2.12,    262,    289,    305,   380 

Lincoln.  Abraham,  Lincoln 
Markers  suggested  179 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Lindsay, 
Vachel,  "Abraham  Lincoln 
Walks  at  Midnight  in  Spring- 
field." Poem  294 

Lincoln.  Abraham,  "Lost 
Speech,"  Place  marked  where 
Lincoln  made  his  famous 
Lost  Speech,  Bloomington, 111. 380 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  L  o  w  d  e  n, 
(Gov.)  Frank  O.,  Lincoln  Day 
Observance  recommended  by 
Governor  Lowden  94-96 

Lincoln.  Abraham,  Macon 
County,  111.,  Marks  location 
of  the  Lincoln  Home 380 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Markham, 
Edwin,  "Lincoln,  the  Man  of 
the  People"  294,  299 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Nicolay  & 
Hay,  Life  of  Lincoln 78 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  O'Connor, 
Andrew,  Sculptor  of  the  Lin- 
coln Statue,  State  House 
Grounds 29,  299,  319 


PAGE 

Lincoln,  Abraham,   O'Connor, 
Thomas     Power,    Address    on 

Abraham    Lincoln    121-123 

Lincoln,     Abraham,     Old     Salem 
Lincoln  League  Pageant 

41-43,   377 

Lincoln,     Abraham,     Places     in 
Illinois     where     he     made 

speeches,    marked,    1918 380 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Proctor  Addi- 
son    G.       The    nomination     of 
Abraham   Lincoln    ....96,   98-107 
Lincoln,    Abraham,     Quoted    on 

Slavery     163 

Lincoln,      Abraham,      Raymond, 

Henry  J.,  Life  of  Lincoln 78 

Lincoln,    Abraham,     Riddell, 

(Hon.)     William    Ren  nick. 
Abraham  Lincoln.    Address . .  . 

108-121 

Lincoln,     Abraham,     Rothschild, 

Alonzo,     Lincoln,     Master     of 

Men     78 

Lincoln,    Abraham,    Sources    of 

his  power 175,   176,   177 

Lincoln,     Abraham,     Statue     on 

State   House   Grounds.      Work 

of  Andrew   O'Connor.  ..  .293,  299 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  Statue.  State 

House  Grounds,  Dedication   . . 

51,  293,   296,   298,   385 

Lincoln,    Abraham,    Surveyor.  .  .339 
Lincoln,    Abraham,    Thayer,    W. 

M.,   The  Pioneer  Boy 78 

Lincoln   &  Herndon,   Law   Firm, 

Springfield,   111 179 

Lincoln    &    Logan,    Law    Firm, 

Springfield,    111 179 

Lincoln    Centennial   Association. 

50,   78,   94 

Lincoln    Circuit    Marking    Asso- 
ciation      364 

Lincoln-Douglas    Debates,    1858. 

174.    196,    212,    262,    289,    305,   380 

Lincoln    Highway     345 

Lincoln    Monument,    Springfield, 

111 292 

Lincoln,    New   Salem    Pageant.  . 

41-43 

Lincoln,    Thomas,    Father    of 

Abraham  Lincoln   178 

Linder.  Usher  F 288 

Link,  Edna   428,   440 

Link,   Gus    427,   438 

Link,    Helen    428,   440 

Linxweiler.    Eugene    431,   442 

"Little       Black       Bull,"       Song. 

Reference.      Footnote    413 

Little    Britain,    English    Prairie 

in    St.    Clair   County,    111.      So- 
called     55 

Locher,    J.    C 431,   442 

Lockie,    (Mrs.)    David 441 

Lockwood,     (Judge)      Samuel 

Drake    284 

Logan    County,    111.,    Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Logan,     John,     Father    of    Gen. 

John  A.   Logan 288 

Logan,    (Gen.)    John   Alexander 

129,    213,    215, 

221,    288,    308,    309,    341,    380,  390 


472 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Logan,  (Gen.)  John  Alexander, 
Deadlock  over  election  of,  to 
the  United  States  Senate.  ..  .341 
Logan,  (Gen.)  John  Alexander, 
Williamson  County,  111., 
marks  site  of  spot  where  John 
A.  Logan  delivered  speech  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil 

War   380 

Logan  Square,  Chicago,  Centen- 
nial   Monument    dedicated    in, 

Oct.    13,    1918 379 

Lombard      College,      Galesburg, 

111 428,   440 

London  Times,  1812.    Quoted...  152 
"Long     Knives,"      Clark's     Vir- 
ginia   men    so-called 233 

Lorch,    Charles   J 436 

Lorraine,  French  Lorraine  at  St. 

Mihiel    205 

Lorton,    F.    0 428,439 

Lossing,  Benson,  John,  Historian  77 
Lothrop,    Thornton    Kirkland.  . .    77 

Louisiana  State    143 

Louisiana    State,    Admitted    to 

the  Union,    1812 15 

Lovejoy,    Elijah   Parish 

213,   214,  380 

Lovejoy,  Elijah  Parish,  Remains 
of  the  Lovejoy  Printing  Press, 

mounted  in  Alton,  111 380 

Lovejoy  Printing  Press,  Re- 
mains of,  mounted  in  Alton, 

111 380 

Low,    Katherine    436,  437 

Lowden,    (Miss)    Florence 

39,  241, 

242,    294,    295,   385,    397,    424,  436 
Lowden,  (Miss)  Florence,  Takes 
the    part    of    Illinois    in    the 

Masque  of  Illinois 

39,   241,    242,   385,   397,  436 

Lowden,  (Miss)  Florence,  Places 
wreath  on  Lincoln  Statue, 

State  House   Grounds 294 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren.. 
...20,  23,  24,  25,  50,  53,  54, 
58,  94,  95,  96,  134,  135,  137, 
194-196,  215,  223,  224,  225- 
232,  235,  236,  241,  242,  243, 
259,  260-290,  291,  292,  293, 
295,  296,  298,  316,  317,  321, 
323-331,  333,  334,  345,  360, 
373,  378,  379,  382,  388,  390,  392  ' 
Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Aid  and  encouragement  given 
by,  to  the  Centennial  Celebra- 
tions of  the  State 

23,   24,   25,    50,   94,  382 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren. 
Centennial  Address,  Illinois 

Day,  Dec.   3,   1917 54-55 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Centennial  Address  at  Ches- 
ter, 111.,  July  4,  1918 225-232 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Centennial  Address  at  Fort 

Gage,  July  4.  1918 235,  236 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Centennial  Address  at  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone  of  the 
Centennial  Memorial  Building, 
Oct.  5,  1918 291 


PACK 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Centennial  Address,  Chicago, 
Dedication  of  Monument  in 
Logan  Square,  Oct.  13,  1918 

323-331 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Centennial  Address,  Vandalia, 

Illinois     261-269 

Lowden,     (Gov.)    Frank    Orren, 

The   Illinois    Centennial.  .194-196 
Lowden,     (Gov.)     Frank    Orren, 
Lincoln    Day    Observance,    re- 
commended  by    94-96 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Message  to  Fiftieth  General 
Assembly  on  the  Centennial 

of   the    State 25 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Proclamation  of,  calling  for 
the  Centennial  Celebration, 

Dec.    3,    1917 382 

Lowden,  (Gov.)  Frank  Orren, 
Proclamation  on  the  Ninety- 
ninth  Anniversary  of  the 

State   of    Illinois 23,  24 

Lowden,    (Mrs.)    Frank    Orren. 

53,  295,   296 

Lowell,  James  Russell 129 

Loyal  Legion   250 

Loyola,     School     of     Sociology, 

Chicago,    111 260 

Luby,   Ethel  M 441 

Luby,    Katherine    427 

Ludlow    Castle,    "Comus"    given 

in    407 

Luehrs,    Harry    424 

Lundy's    Lane,    Battle    of,    War 

of  1812    62 

Lutheran  Church,  Grace  Luth- 
eran Church,  Springfield,  111.. 3 01 

Luthuania    203 

Lutkemeyer,    (Mrs.)    Albert.  ..  .441 
Lyantey,    (Gen.)    Louis  Hubert.  199 

Lynd,    Joe    427 

Lys  Valley  in  the  World  War.  .199 


M 


McAnulty,  Esther   426,  439 

McAuley,   Thomas  Babington, 

Historian    77 

McCann,  Martha 426,  439 

McCarl,    (Judge)   Lyman 377 

McCarthy,  Louise   426 

McClellan,    (Gen.)    George  Brin- 

ton     115,  308 

McClernand,    (Gen.)    John  Alex- 
ander     68,   288 

McClure,    (Mrs.)    Robert 437 

McClurg,   A.    C.   &   Co.,   Publish- 
ers of  the  Centennial  Memorial 

History    of   Illinois 45,  184 

McCoy,    W.    F 427,   441 

McCrae,      (Lieut.      Col.)      John, 
Poem,  "In  Flanders  Field" .  . . 

117-118 

McCranor,    Margaret     441 

McCune,    Alice    426 

McCune,    Ethel    426 

McDanie.ls,     (Miss)     Bernice.  . .  .441 

McDavid,    H.    W 430,  442 

McDonald,    Margaret    437 


INDEX 


473 


PAGE 

McDonald,   Margaret   H 441 

McDougal,    Donald    431,  442 

McDougall,    James   A 68 

McElvain,    H.    A 428,   439 

McFadden,    (Rev.)    Willis 301 

McGinley,   Katherine  L 425,   437 

McGoorty,    (Judge)    John  P 295 

McGowan,    LaReine    425,  437 

McGranoo,    Margaret    437 

McGrath,    Lorene    426,  439 

McGrue,    H.    0 422,   433 

McGurk,    Margaret    427 

Mackaye,   Percy    408 

McKendree     College,      Lebanon, 

111 213,    428,   440 

Mackie,    A.    D 437 

Mackie,    Nancy    Jane 426,   439 

McKinney,    William    D 

426,    430,    439,  442 

McKinney,    (Mrs.)   William  D. .. 

426,    430,    439,   443 

McLain,  R.   C 431,   442 

McLain,  William   H 429,   443 

McLean   County,   111.,   Centennial 

Celebration.      Reference    378 

McLean  County,  111.,  Named  for 

John    McLean    339 

McLean,    John    339,  340 

McLean,   John,   McLean    County, 

111.,  named  for  John  McLean. 339 
McLean,    John,    Speaker    of    the 
Second       General       Assembly, 

State  of  Illinois 339 

McManus,  J.  B.,  Member  of  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission..  20 

McMillon,   James   H 430,   442 

McNeer,    Marshal    425,   439 

Macon  County,  111.,  Lincoln 
home  marked  in  Macon 

County    380 

Macoupin  County,  111.,  Centen- 
nial Celebration.  Reference.  378 

Macpherson,    J.    F 422,432 

McRoberts,    Mary    427 

Madison  County,  111.,  Centennial 

Celebration    378 

Madison  County,  111.,  Coles,  Ed- 
ward, suits  instituted  against 
in  Madison  County  for  bring- 
ing slaves  to  Illinois  after 

they  were  freed   281 

Madison,    (President)    James... 

61,   212,   277 

Madison,  Wisconsin,  Draper  Col- 
lection in  185 

M;iggentti.    J 431,442 

Magill,  Hugh  S.,  Jr.,  Address 
before  Illinois  State  Bankers' 
Association,  Sept.  19,  1917. 

Reference    386 

Magill,  Hugh  S.,  Jr.,  Director 
Illinois  Centennial  Celebra- 
tions   

30,    94.    96,    97,    223,    229,    359- 
381,    382,    386,    397,    422,    432,   433 
Mag-ill,  Hugh  S.,  Jr.,  Member  of 

Centennial    Commission    

3,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22,   23 

Magill,    Hugh   S.,   Jr.,   Report  to 
the    Illinois    Centennial    Com- 
mission,   Dec.    31,    1918.  .  .359-381 
Magill,    (Mrs.)    Hugh  S.,   Jr 53 


PAGE 

Maine  State,  First  of  the  New 
England  States  to  try  out  the 
Initiative  and  Referendum.  . .  .162 

Malinske,    Carl    429 

Maloney,     (Mrs.)     Mary 441 

Manning,    Anne    L 425 

Manning,   Ella   L 437 

Manning,    Mary    A 425 

Manning  May    441 

Mansfield,   L.   F 430,  442 

Manuel — Negro,       warrant      for 
death     of,     found     in     John 
Todd's  record  book  1779.188-189 
"Marching     Through     Georgia," 

By  H.    C.   Work 371 

Marest,    (Father)    Gabriel 238 

Margrave,  A.  C..426,  431,  439,  442 

Margrave,    ( Mrs. )    A.    C 

426,   431,   439 

Margrave,  Gerald  Edwin 

426,   431,  442 

Marion,  111 422,  432 

Markey,    Nelle    427 

Markham,    Edwin,    Lincoln    the 

Man  of  the  People 294,  299 

Marland,     (Miss)    Gladys.. 431,  442 

Marland,  John    429,  442 

Marland,    (Miss)    LaVerne 

431,   442 

Marne,  Battle  of,  World  War. . 

87,    95,    197,   331 

Marquette,      (Father)      Jacques 

(James)    59,   66, 

196,    198,    208,    218,    235,    322,   434 

Marshall,    Henry    R 429,  442 

Marshall,    John    62,   77 

Marshall,  John,  Life  of  John 
Marshall,  by  Albert  J.  Bev- 

eridge    144 

Marshall,  Thomas  R.,  Vice 
President  of  the  United  States 

58 

Martin,  (Gen.)  Charles  H.,  at 
Camp  Grant,  Rockford,  111.. 378 

Martin,    Dare   1 425,  438 

Martin,  Edgar,  State  Architect, 
Plans  for  Centennial  Memorial 

Building,  drawn  by 36 

Martin,  (Miss)  Martha  Denny, 
Wife  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 313 

Martin,    (Col.)    Robert 313 

Martinsville,    Indiana    248 

Maryland,    State     151 

Mason    City,    111 422,   432 

Mason,    Edward    G.,     Historical 

Writer    188,  189 

Mason,  George  of  Virginia 

147,   149,   150 

Mason,  George,  His  work  in 
the  "Virginia  Bill  of  Rights" 

147 

Masque  of  Illinois,   By  Wallace 

Rice    

38,  39,  290,  296,  395,  409,  421-444 
Masque    of    Illinois,    Centennial, 
Aug.    26    and    Oct.    4    and    5, 
1918,       given       in       Coliseum, 
State    Fair    Grounds,    Spring- 
field, 111.39,  290,  296,  409,  421-444 
Masque     of     Illinois,     Given     at 

Vandalia     259 

Masques,    Caesar's    Gods 408 


474 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Masques,      Carew's      C  o  e  1  u  m 

Britannica    406 

Masques,  The  Chaplet  of  Pan," 
By  Wallace  Rice  and  Thomas 

Wood  Stevens   407 

Masques — The   Daimio's   Head.. 408 
Masques,   Difference   Between   a 

Masque   and    Pageant 408 

Masques,    "The   Drawing  of   the 

Sword"    408 

Masques,     Illinois,     Masque     of 
Illinois,   by  Wallace  Rice. . . . 
38,  39,  290,  296,  395,  409,  421-444 
Masques,     "Masque     of     Illinois 

Wars"     409 

Masques,  "Masque  of  Judg- 
ment," by  William  Vaughn 

Moody     407 

Masques,  "The  Masque  of  Mon- 

tezuma"     408 

Masques,  "The  Masque  of  Quet- 
zal's Bowl"  408 

Masques,  "Meaning  of  the  Word 

'Masque'  "     408 

Masques  of  East  and  West,  By 
Kenneth  Sawyer  Goodman. .  .408 

Masques  of  the  Stuarts 406 

Masques   of  the   Tudors 406 

Masques,  Owen,  Grace  Arling- 
ton, "The  Wonderful  Story  of 

Illinois"   38,  366,  409 

Masques,   Rainald   and  the  Red 

Wolf    408 

Masques,    Shirley's   Triumph    of 

Peace    406 

Masques,  "The  Sword  of  Ameri- 
ca"   409 

Masques,  Topaz  Amulet 407 

Masques,  "The  Wonderful 
Story  of  Illinois,"  By  Grace 

Arlington  Owen 38,  366,  409 

Massachusetts    Bay,    Colony. ..  .158 

Massachusetts  State 

66,  146,  160,   310 

Massachusetts,    State    Constitu- 
tional  Convention   of   1780. ..160 
Massachusetts  State,  Settled  by 

the  English    146 

Mattaponisah     84 

Matheny,  Marian   427 

Mathews,  John  M.,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial History,  Vol.  V.  The 
Modern  Commonwealth  1893- 
1918.  Edited  by  Ernest  L. 
Bogart,  John  M.  Mathews  and 

Arthur  C.   Cole 34,   187,   445 

Matthews,  A.  C.  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of 

the  State  of  Illinois,  1888 340 

Maurer,   Adolph 428,    429,  440 

Maurer,   (Mrs.)   M.  A 440 

Maurer,  Martha 428,  440 

Mayhew,  E.   L 428,  439 

Maxwell,    (Dr.)    G.   E 429,  442 

Meade,  (Gen.)  George  G., 
Union  Major-General,  War  of 

the    Rebellion    129 

Meador,    Charles    A 431,  444 

Mediterranean    Ocean    ....346,  347 
Meek,  A.,  Director,  Colored  Cen- 
tennial  Chorus    300 


Meisner, 


PAGE 
-,  Aviator  in  the 


U.    S.    Service,    of    German 

origin     248 

Melcher,   Ethel    428 

Melin,    Frank   L, 444 

Mellon,    Justice    430,   442 

Membre,    (Father)    Zenobius. .  .434 

Menard  County,  111 377 

Menard,  (Col.)  Pierre,  First 
Lieutenant  Governor,  State  of 

Illinois    196,    336,337 

Mendon,  (Adams  County)  111., 
"Masque  of  Illinois,"  given 

in    377 

Mercantile    Library,    St.    Louis, 

Mo 186 

Meredith,  George  D 429,  442 

Meredith,   Mary    426,  439 

Meredith,  Mary  Jane 425,  437 

Mesopotamia .118 

Messick,    (Judge)    Joseph  B....377 
Messinger,  John,  Speaker  of  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representa- 
tives,   1818    338,339 

Messinger,   John,    Surveyor 339 

Metcalf,  Elizabeth  B.,  Takes  the 
part  of  Virginia  in  the  Mas- 
que of  Illinois 425 

Metcalf,    Samuel    428,  439 

Meteer,    Billy    426,   439 

Methodist  Church    138,  300 

Methodist    Church,    Springfield, 

111 300 

Metternich,  Von  Clemens  Wen- 
zel,  Prime  Minister  of  Austria 

154,  155,   162 

Metternich,  Von  Clemens  Wen- 
zel,  Dominating  figure  of 
Europe  for  thirty  years.  154,  155 

Metzger,    Charles    427,  438 

Mexican    War    435,   436 

Mexico 143,   398 

Meyer,  Helen    428,  440 

Meyer,    Walter     429,  440 

Michigan   State    14,   60 

Michigan     State,     Part     of     the 

Northwest  Territory    60 

Mid-Summer      Night's      Dream, 

Shakespeare     406 

Milford,    Laura   1 378 

Military  Tract,  State  of  Illi- 
nois   287 

Miller,    A.    E 430,442 

Miller,   Alexander    429,   442 

Miller,    C.    S 430,   442 

Miller,    J,    A 430,  442 

Miller,  James  H.,  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives, 
State  of  Illinois,  1888,  suc- 
ceeded, A.  C.  Matthews 340 

Miller,    (Mrs.)    John 441 

Miller,    (Miss)    Laura   A 378 

Miller,   O.   G 426,   431,   439,   442 

Miller,    (Mrs.)    O.    G 

426,   431,   439 

Milton,    John    81,   407 

Minnesota   State...  14,    72,    247,  358 
Minnesota   State,   Wheat  crop.. 351 

Mischler,  Agnes   427,   438 

Mississippi    Bubble    239 


INDEX 


475 


PAGE 

Mississippi  River   ....13,  14,  55, 

59,   66,   80,   139,   142,   172,   173, 

195,    196,    198,    207,    208,    210, 

218,    226,    236,   283,    285,    351,   380 

Mississippi  River,  Discovered  by 

DeSoto     13 

Mississippi     River,     "Father     of 

Waters"     139 

Mississippi  River,  Rock  Island 
County  marks  the  first  water 
power  site  on  the  Mississippi 

River   380 

Mississippi    State,    Admitted    to 

the  Union,  1817 15 

Mississippi   Valley    

..49,    60,    167,    171,    200,    261,   380 
Mississippi  Valley,   Explorations 

by  the  Frenchmen,   in 200 

Missouri  Compromise,  Repeal  of. 

Reference    212 

Missouri  River   99 

Missouri   State    72,  351 

Missouri  State,  Lead  produc- 
tion   351 

Mitchell,    Albert    S 430,   442 

Mitchell,    (Miss)    Mae 441 

Moline,    111 422,  432 

Monmouth     College,     Monmouth, 

111 428,   440 

Monroe  Doctrine,  Douglas  sup- 
port of  314 

Monroe,    (President)    Jamas. . . . 

208,   277 

Monroe,  (President)  James, 
Signed  the  Enabling  Act  of 

Illinois     208 

Monroe,    (Miss)    Olivia 441 

Montana  State    193 

Montenegro     443 

Montezuma,    The    Masque    of 

Montezuma    408 

Montgomery,  (Mrs.)  George  S., 
Pageant  in  St.  Charles,  Kane 
County,  given  under  the  man- 
agement of  378 

Montgomery,  Lucille   426,  438 

Montgomery,   (Judge)   S.  B 377 

Monticello      Female      Seminary, 

Godfrey,   111 428,  440 

Monticello,     Home     of     Thomas 

Jefferson    85,   302 

Montreal,    Canada    337 

Moody,  William  Vaughn,  Mas- 
que of  Judgment" 407 

Moore,  Edward  C.,  Composer  of 
the  Centennial  Music,  State 

of  Illinois   7,   38, 

137,    241,    395,    402,    423,    433,   441 
Moore,   (Mrs.)  Hazel  H.,  Dances 
for  "The  Masque  of  Illinois," 

arranged   by    423,  433 

Moore,  (Maj.  Gen.)  James  B., 
Anti-slavery  candidate  for 

Governor   of   Illinois 278 

Moore,    Rice   J 426,  438 

Moore,  Risdon,  Speaker  Pro 
Tern,  House  of  Representa- 
tives, 1818  338 

Moore,    S.   E 428,  439 

Moores,  Charles  W.,  Indiana's 
Interest  in  Historic  Illinois.. 
135,  136,  166-179 


PAGE 

Moore,     (Sir)     Thomas,    Utopia. 

Quoted     145 

Morgan  County,   111.,   Centennial 

Celebration     377 

Morgan  County,  111.,  Portuguese 
refugees  in  Morgan  County, 

111 55 

Morgan,  Ella 438 

Morgan,    Grace    427,   438 

Morgan,  John  T 313 

Mormons   in   Illinois. ..  55,    424,  435 

Morocco    199 

Morris,  James  F.,  Member  Cen- 
tennial Commission,  House  of 
Representatives...  17,  19,  22,23 

Morris,  Katherine 425,  437 

Morris,    M.    D 429,   442 

Morrison,    William    R 340 

Morse,    John   T 124 

Morse,    O.    S 430,442 

Morton,    J.   A 425,  438 

Morton,    (Mrs.)    J.    A 441 

Morton,    (Senator)    Oliver  P.,  of 

Indiana     84, 

Moses,  John,  History  of  Illinois. 

Quoted    78,    285,288 

Mottar,    W.    D 428,  439 

Moultrie   County,    111 340 

Mount  McGregor,   N.    Y 221 

Mount    Moriah    74 

Mount   Sinai    348 

Mount  Vernon,  Home  of  Wash- 
ington    85 

Mount  Vernon,   111 284 

Mueller,  Carl,  Member  of  Ad- 
visory Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial    Commission    26 

Mueller,    James   Edward. .  .426,   439 

Mueller,    Mercedes    426,   439 

Mulcahy,    Margaret    427,  438 

Mulcahy,  Marie    427,  438 

Mulligan,    (Dr.)     C.    M 431,442 

Munday,  (Prof.)  J.  A.,  Direc- 
tor of  the  Colored  Centennial 

Chorus    295,   300 

Murdock,    J.    K 431,442 

Murphy,   Catherine   426,  439 

Murphy   .Elizabeth    426,  439 

Murphy,     (Mrs.)     J 427 

Murphy,   James    427,   438 

Murray,    (Miss)    Florence 441 

Murray,   Katherine   426,   441 

Muscat,    J.    L 431,  442 

"My  Own  Times,"  by  John  Rey- 
nolds. Quoted  283 

Myers,    Julius     430,  442 

Myers,    Louis    M 430,   442 

Myers,    Marshall    426,   439 

Myers,    Ruth    426 

Myers,  Stanley    426 


N 

Nally,  Anna  427,  438 

Napoleon.  Arch  of  Napoleon, 

Paris,  France  87 

Napoleonic  Wars  143 

Nashville,  Tenn 283 

National  Road,  Terre  Haute, 

Indiana,  to  Vandalia,  111 284 

Nauvoo,  111 55,  56,  435 


476 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Nauvoo,  111.,  Icarian  Community 

in  Nauvoo,    111 55,   56 

Naylor,    Norval    M 430,  442 

Neale,    Arthur    430,  442 

Nelch,    (Miss)    Edna 441 

Nelch,    (Miss)    Evelyn 430 

Nelsch,     (Miss)    Helen 441 

Nelson,  Hattie   426,  438 

Nelson,    (Judge)    G.  E 377 

Nelson,   Stella    438 

Nelson   v.    People,    case   in   law. 

Reference    281 

Neubeck,   (Miss)  Edna 441 

Newburn,    (Miss)    Hazel 441 

New  Design,  111 339 

New  England    77,   145,  151 

New  England  Settlers  in  Illi- 
nois   151 

New  Foundland    317 

Newlin,   W.   H 427,  441 

New  Orleans,  La 303,  306,  307 

New  Orleans,  Battle  of,  War  of 

1812.     Reference 62 

New  Orleans,  La.,  Mardi  Gras.  .400 
New  Orleans,  La.,  Slave  Market 

177 

New,    Richard    425,  439 

New  Salem,  Menard  County,  111. 

124,  125 

New  Salem  Pageant,  Centennial 

Celebration     41-43 

Newspapers,  Associated.  Press 

Bureau    382 

Newspapers,  Boston,  Mass., 
Herald.  Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 391 

Newspapers,  Burlington,  Iowa, 
Hawkeye.  Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 389 

Newspapers,  Champaign,  111., 
News.  Quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois 392 

Newspapers,  Chicago,  111., 
Hera.ld.  Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 393 

Newspapers,  Chicago,  111.,  Post. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial  of 

Illinois     393 

Newspapers,     Chicago     Tribune, 

Centennial   Issue    385 

Newspapers,  Chicago  Tribune. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial  of 

the   State    391 

Newspapers,  Illinois  Intelli- 
gencer   283 

Newspapers,  Illinois  Newspapers 
cooperate  with  the  Centennial 
Commission.  See  Crews,  Hal- 
bert  O.,  Report. 

Newspapers,  Illinois  State  Jour- 
nal, quoted  on  the  Centennial 

of  Illinois 393 

Newspapers,  Illinois  State  Reg- 
ister, Centennial  edition 385 

Newspapers,     Indiana     Gazette, 

1819    171 

Newspapers,  International  News 

Bureau    3S2 

Newspapers,  Jacksonville,  III., 
Courier,  quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois.  .  .  .392 


PAGE 

Newspapers  loaned  in  the  com- 
pilation of  the  Centennial  his- 
tory   186 

Newspapers,  London  Times, 
1812  152 

Newspapers,  Newspaper  Enter- 
prise Association  382 

Newspapers,  New  York  Herald. 382 

Newspapers,  Peoria,  111.,  Jour- 
nal, Centennial  edition 385 

Newspapers,  Peoria,  111.,  Trans- 
script,  quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois 393 

Newspapers,  Rockford  -  Register 
Gazette,  Newspaper  quoted  on 
the  Centennial  of  Illinois 393 

Newspapers,  St.  Louis  Globe 
Democrat,  quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  the  State 388 

Newspapers,  Springfield,  111., 
News-Record,  Centennial  edi- 
tion   385 

Newspapers,  Springfield,  111., 
News-Record,  quoted  on  the 
Centennial  of  Illinois 394 

Newspapers,  Stars  and  Stripes, 
Newspaper  published  during 
World  War 268 

Newspapers,  Troy,  New  York 
Times,  quoted  on  the  Centen- 
nial of  Illinois C90 

Newspapers,  United  Press 
Bureau  382 

Newspapers,  Western  Intelli- 
gencer, Edited  by  Daniel  Pope 
Cook  208,  209 

Newspapers,  Western  News- 
paper Union  382 

Newspapers,  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
Vindicator,  quoted  on  the 
Centennial  of  Illinois 389,  330 

News,  William   425,  439 

New  York  City 32.  87,  SH 

New  York  City,  New  York 
Herald 3S2 

New  York  State 34, 

59,  151,  159,  160,  332,  333,  344 

New  York  State  Constitutional 
Convention,  1821  159,  160 

New  York  State,  Dutch  settle  in 
New  York  59 

New  York  State,  Education, 

University  of  New  York 

332,  333,  344 

New  York  State,  Emigrants 
from,  to  Illinois 151 

New  York  State,  Kent,  James, 
Chancellor  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois   160 

New  York  State,  University  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  .332,  333 

New  Zealand    317 

Nicholas,    (Rev.)    William   H...301 

Nichols,    (Mrs.)    Laura 427,   438 

Nickey,  Harry  W 

422,  426,  433,  438 

Nicolay  &  Hay,  Life  of  Lincoln.    78 

Nicolle.  (Mr.  and  Mrs.),  Death 
of  by  poisoning.  Case  of,  in 
Illinois  Country,  1779 189 

Nineveh     398 

Nolan   Creek,    Ky 177 

Nolden,    Nell    443 


INDEX 


47? 


PAGE 

Nollen,    Margaret    427,   438 

Nordmeyer,  Grace   438 

North  America    108 

North  Carolina,  Waxhaw,  N.  C.  .302 
Northwest,    Benton,    (Prof.)    El- 
bert     J.,      "Establishing-     the 
American    Colonial    System    in 

the   Old   Northwest" 

135,    236,    I-XXIV 

Northwest    Territory     

168,    169,    273,    277,   278 

Northwest  Territory,  Five  states 

carved  from    60,  288 

Northwest  Territory,  Fortifica- 
tions in  60 

Northwest  Territory,  Hamilton, 
(Sir)  Henry,  English  Gover- 
nor of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory    60 

Northwest  Territory,  Land  com- 
panies attempt  to  locate   in.. 274 
Northwest     Territory,      Slavery 
prohibited    in    by    the    Ordi- 
nance  of    1787 61,   208 

Northwest    Territory,     States 

carved  from    60,   288 

Northwest  Territory,  Virginia 
ceded  this  territory  to  the 

General   Government    61 

Northwestern    College    428,   440 

Northwestern       University, 

Evanston,  111 21,  379,  428,   440 

Northwestern  University, 
Evanston,  III.,  Centennial 

Pageant    379 

Nottingham,    S    S 441 

Nuckels,    B.    B 425,   438 


O'Brien,    Dorothy  E 425,   437 

O'Brien,   Elizabeth   427 

O'Brien,   Margaret    427 

O'Connell,    Daniel    426,   439 

O'Conner,  Andrew,  Sculptor 
Lincoln  Statue,  State  House 

Grounds    293,    299,   319 

O'Connor,  (Hon.)  Thomas 
Power,  Abraham  Lincoln 

Address     121-133 

O'Connor,  (Hon. )  Thomas 
Power,  Irish  Nationalist, 
Member  of  the  English  Par- 
liament   94,  96,  121 

O'Donnell,    None     427 

Odum,  Ernest  J.,  Member  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 

Centennial    Commission    26 

Offer,    Henry    429,   442 

Offut,    Denton     42,  125 

Ogg,    Basil    "W 430,   442 

Ogle    County,    111 400 

Oglesby,    (Lieut    Gov.)    John   G. 

290,     297,    332,     333.   335 

Oglesby,  (Lieut.  Gov.)  John  G., 
Centennial  Address,  "The 
Office  of  Lieutenant  Gover- 
nor"  332,  333,  335-337 

Oglesby,  (Lieut.  Gov.)  John  G., 
Member  Advisory  Committee, 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion    26 


PAGE 

Oglesby,    (Gov.)    Richard   J. . .  . 

72,    213,    215,    221,    295,   390 

Oglesby,    (Mrs.)    Richard   J..53,  57 

Ohio  River   13,   60, 

66,  136,  139,  148,  150,  173,  210, 
213,    233,    273,    283,    285,    294,   393 

Ohio   State    14,    15,    32,   60 

Ohio     State,     Admitted    to    the 

Union,   1802    15 

Ohio   State,  Part  of  the  North- 
west   Territory    60 

Oise,  Battle  of,  World  War 199 

O'Keefe,    D 431,442 

Oldfield,    Barney    428,  439 

"Old    Glory,"    French    children's1 
tribute  to,  in  Paris,  France.. 207 

Old    Northwest    160 

Old   Salem,    Centennial    Pageant 

41-43,  377,  385 

Old  Salem  Lincoln  League,  Pre- 
sents     Lincoln     New      Salem 

Pageant    41-43,    377,  385 

Old    Salem    Lincoln    League, 
Pageant  given  on  site  of  Old 

Salem    377 

Olson,    (Judge)    Henry.. 247 

Omaha,   Nebraska    87 

Ontario,      Canada,      Supreme 

Court   94,  96,   108 

Ordinance  of  1787 61,   173, 

177,    208,    209,    242,    277,    278,  369 
Ordinance     of     1787,     Prohibits 

slavery     61,   208 

Oregon    State    68,    164,   310 

Oregon    State,     Baker,    Edward 
Dickinson,      Senator     from 

Oregon     68 

Oregon  State,  Experiments  with 
direct  legislation.     Reference.  164 

Oregon   Territory    313 

O'Reilly,    (Mrs.)    Theresa 

427,   438.   440 

Osage      Orange      Hedges,      Dye 
from    roots    of.      Footnote.  .214 

Osborne,    Dorothy    M ,425 

Osborne,    (Miss)    Georgia  L. . . . 

426,   439,   445 

Osborne,    Virginia    S 

425,    426,    437,   439 

Ostermeier,    Bertha    429,  440 

Ostermeier,   Carl    429,  440 

Ostermeier,   Cecil    429 

Ostermeier,    Charlotte    ....429,   440 

Ostermeier,    Fred    429,   440 

Ostermeier,   Gladys    428 

Ostermeier.    Johannah    ....428,   440 

Ottawa,    111 376,  380 

Ottawa,    111.,    Marks   historic 

spots,  Centennial,   1918 380 

Otto,    Jennie    B 425,  437 

Ottoman   Empire    263 

Owen,    Emily     438 

Owen,     Grace    Arlington,     "The 
Wonderful    Story    of    Illinois" 

38,   366,   409 

Owen,    Norman    430,   442 

Owens,    (Dr.)    A.   N 429,  442 

Oxford,    England,    University    of 

Oxford     399 

Ozark  Mountains   105 


478 


PAGE 

Pacific    Ocean    99,  262 

Pacifists,  Roosevelt  quoted  on 
the  Pacifists  in  the  World 

War   251,  252,  253 

Paddock,    (Mrs.)    Porter. .  .422,  433 

Page,  Clara   443 

Page,    Harry   C 428,   439 

Page,  Joseph  M.,  Second  Pub- 
licity Manager,  Illinois  Cen- 
tennial   31,  383 

Page,  Thomas  Nelson,  Ambassa- 
dor to  Italy 146 

Pageants,      First     use     of     the 

word     398,  399 

Pageants  and  Masques.     Report 

of    Wallace    Rice 397-410 

Pageants,  Church  of  England 
given  on  the  grounds  of  the 
Palace  of  the  Archbishop  of 

Canterbury     399 

Pageants,   Difference  between   a 

Masque  and  Pageant 408 

Pageants,  "Glorious  Gateway  of 

the  West,"    (The) 401 

Pageant,    Illinois     Country,     by 

Wallace   Rice 

38,   395,   397,    401,   402,  406 

Pageants,     "Independence    Day 

Pageants"     401 

Pageants,    Italian    Renaissance, 

Pageant    400 

Pageants,   New   Salem   Pageant. 

Centennial    Celebration    ...41-43 
Pageants,  Old  Northwest,  (The) 

Pageant    401 

Pageants,  Renaissance,  Pageant 

406 

Pageants,  Rough  Riders  in 
William  F.  Cody's  Wild  West 

Show    399 

Pageants,  St.  Louis  Pageant,  by 

Thomas  Wood  Stevens 401 

Pageants,  Sherborne  Pageant  in 

1905      399,  400 

Pageants,    Tale   College 400 

Pahnke,    Gustave    429,  440 

Pain,    Barry,    Poem   of.... 120,  121 

Palestine    263,    347,348 

Palestine,      Captured,      World 

War     263 

Palmer,    (Mrs.)    George  Thomas 

39,   422,   432 

Palmer,    (Gov.)    John  M 

78,    213,    215,    221,    295,   341 

Palmer,  (Gen.)  John  M.,  Sena- 
torial Contest,  1891 341 

Palmer,    (Mrs.)    John   M 53 

Palmyra,   111 286 

Panama    314,    430,443 

Panama    Canal,    America    to 

build    314 

Paoli,  G.  .Writer  of  music  for 
Chicago  Centennial  Pageant  .322 

Paris,   France    

87,    185,    186,    207,   229 

Paris.     Archives     of     Paris     re- 
search work  in,  on  the  Centen- 
nial  History    185,  186 

Paris,  France,  French  Children's 
tribute  to  "Old  Glory,"  in 

Paris     207 

Park,  T.   E 430,  442 


PAGE 

Parker,      Louis       N.,      English 

Novelist  and  Dramatist 

399,   400 

Parkin,    George    D 428,   439 

Parks,    (Miss)    Daisy 441 

Parochial  Schools,  Chicago,  111., 
observe  Centennial  of  the 

State    379 

Parsons,    A.    J 430,442 

Parsons,    (Miss)    Gladys 442 

Partridge,     (Mrs.)     Grace    Fish, 

(Mrs.    Frank    V.) 299,   437 

Paschendaele,    World   War 118 

Pasfield,  Charlotte   ...425,   437,   438 

Pasfield,    Elizabeth    438 

Pasfield,  George,  Jr.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion   

..3,   21,    23,   28,   38,   421,    432,   433 
Pasfield,  George,  Jr.,  Member  of 
Committee    on    Pageants    and 

Masques    Centennial    38 

Patriotic    Songs,    by    Illinoisans 

371 

Patton,  Henry  L 429,   444 

Patton,    (Mrs.)    H.  L 425,  437 

Patton,    Leonora    427,  438 

Patton,    Robert    426,   439 

Patton,    (Mrs.)    Wm.    L...425,   437 

Paullin,    (Mrs.)    Edna    M 441 

Paullin,    (Mrs.)    Jean 441 

Payson,  (Adams  County),  111., 
Masque  of  Illinois  given  in.. 377 

Payton,    (Miss)    Luella 431,442 

Peace  Conference,  World  War.. 204 
Pease,  ( Prof. )  Theodore  C., 
Illinois  Centennial  History, 
Vol.  2.  The  Frontier  State, 
1818-1848,  Edited  by  Theo- 
dore C.  Pease 34,  78,  187,  445 

Peck,  (Rev.)  John  Mason. 
Quoted  on  early  education  in 

Missouri     191,  192 

Peebles.   Grace    438 

Pelouze,  William  N.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion   3,  21,  23,  422,  432 

Pennsylvania  State    

59,    66,    151,    310,   351 

Pennsylvania    State,    Emigrants 

from,    to    Illinois 151 

Pennsylvania      State,      Germans 

settle   in    59 

Pennsylvania  State,  Oil  produc- 
tion   351 

Peoria,   111... 59,    207,   378,    385,  393 
Peoria    County,    111.,    Centennial 

Celebration     : ...  378 

Peoria,   111.,   Journal,   Centennial 

edition     385 

Peoria,  111.,  Transcript,  News- 
paper. Quoted  on  the  Cen- 
tennial of  Illinois 393 

Perkins,    W.    H 430,442 

Perrin  Park,  Belleville,  111.,  St. 
Clair  County  Pageant,  given 

in    377 

Perry,    Lucille    426,   441 

Pershing,   (Gen.)   John  Joseph.. 

58,  202,   207,   326,  327 

Pershing,  (Gen.)  John  Joseph, 
at  Lafayette's  Tomb.  Places 
a  wreath.  Reference 207 


INDEX 


-179 


PAGE 

Persia     205 

Peru     398 

Pervier,  C.  C.,  Member  of  First 

Centennial    Commission    

17,  19,   22 

Peterson,    Chas.    J 429,   442 

Peyton,    Jesse   K 429,  444 

Pfund,    (Mrs.)    Kate 427 

Phillips,    (Chief  Justice)    Joseph 

278,  279 

Phillips,  (Chief  Justice)  Joseph, 
Pro-Slavery  candidate  for 

Governor   of    Illinois 278 

Phillips,  Thomas,  Assistant 
State  Manager,  Chicago  Cen- 
tennial Pageant  322 

Phillips,   Wendell    124 

Phillips,    (Dr.)    Z.  Barney 

295,   296,  301 

Piatt    County,     111,,    Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Piatt  County,  111.,  Marks  place 
where  Lincoln  and  Douglas 
met  and  arranged  for  the 
Lincoln-Douglas  Debates  ....380 

Picardy,  France   201 

Picco,    J.    M 431,442 

Pickett,    C.    H 428,439 

Pilgrim  Fathers    169 

Pioneer  Cemetery  at  Fort  Gage 
Hill,  Randolph  County,  111 ... 

49,    223,    235,  236 

Pioneers    of    Illinois 55-59,   219 

Pisivoske,   Anna    428 

Pitt,  William,  English  states- 
man   229 

Pittsburg,    Pa    410 

Plains  of  Abraham,   at  Quebec, 

1763      14 

Plymouth,    English    settle   in...    59 

Plymouth   Rock    . . . ; 133 

Poland    203,  327 

Poles  of  Prussian  Poland 203 

Pollard,    J.    M 426,   438 

Pooley,   William   Vipond,    Settle- 
ment  of   Illinois.      Quoted.  ..  .284 
Poorman,   A.   J.,   Jr.,  Member  of 
Illinois     Centennial     Commis- 
sion     3,    21,    23,   422,   432 

Pope,   Nathaniel    29,   195, 

209,    213,    339,    365,   392,   393 

Pope,  Nathaniel,  Delegate  in 
Congress,  from  Illinois  Terri- 
tory   195 

Pope,  Nathaniel,  Introduced  bill 
in  Congress,  asking  admission 
of  Illinois  into  the  Union  as  a 

State     29 

Pope,  Nathaniel,  Territorial 
delerate  in  Congress,  presents 
memorial  to,  requesting  that 

Illinois   become  a   State 367 

Pope.    Nathaniel,    "Work    in    be- 
half   of    saving    the    Northern 
Boundary  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois..195.  209,  213,  339,  392,  393 
Pope's  Bluff,  Now  Carlyle,  111..  271 

Powell,     (Mrs.)     Marie 427,438 

Powell,    (Mrs.)    P.  P 441 

Portugal     431,  443 

Portuguese  Refugees  in   Morgan 

and   Sangamon  County,  111...    55 
Potomac  River   140,   142,  155 


PAGE 

Potter,    Margaret    427,  438 

Prairie    du    Rocher 225 

Prairie   Schooners    173 

Prairie    State,   Illinois,    so-called 

32,   38 

Prairies  of  Illinois 

7,   57,    66,    139,    140, 

143,    144,    152,    157,    158,    162, 
167,    168,    169,    170,    172,    205, 
206,    218,    219,    351,    352,    354,   434 
Prairies  of  Illinois,  Description. 351 

Prather,   Frank   J 422,   432 

Pratt  Family 42 

Presbyterian  Church,  Spring- 
field,  2nd 301 

Presbyterian  Church,  Vandalia, 
111.  Romulus  Riggs  presented 
bell  to,  in  name  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Illinois  Riggs 286 

Prescott,    William    H  i  c  k  1  i  n  g. 

Historian    77 

Price,    Charles    428,439 

Prince,    (Mrs.)    John 425,  439 

Proclamation  of  Governor  Frank 
O.  Lowden.  Ninety-ninth  An- 
niversary State  of  Illinois.  .23,  24 
Proctofr,  Addison  G.,  Delegate 
from  Kansas  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention,  1860. 

94,   96,   98 

Proctor,  Addison  G.,  The  Nomi- 
nation of  Abraham  Lincoln .  . 

96,   98-107 

Profiteering,  World  War,  Roose- 
velt quoted  on 257 

Profrock,  Marie 428,   440 

Protheroe,  Daniel.  Writer  of 
Music  for  Chicago  Centennial 

Pageant    322 

Prussia    113,    154,   204 

Prussian  Poland,  Poles  of  Prus- 
sian Poland  203 

Pugh,   Julia    441 

Pulliam,    L.    J 430,   442 

Pullman,  George  M 214 

Pumphrey,  Mabel  443 

Puritan  Fathers    158 

Puritans    77 


Q 

Quebec,  Heights  of  Abraham. . .  60 
Quebec,  Plains  of  Abraham  at 

Quebec,  1763  14 

Queen,  D.  T 425,  438 

Queen  Victoria  of  England 108 

Quetzal's  Bowl.  The  Masque  of 

Quetzal's  Bowl  408 

Quincy,  111 377,  386 

Quincy,  111.,  "Masque  of  Illinois," 

given  in 377 

Quinn,  Katherine  427 

Quirles,  (Miss)  Caroline 441 


Rabenstein,  H 427,   438 

Railroads,   Illinois  Central   Rail- 
road     311 

Rainald     and     the     Red     Wolf, 
Masque    408 


480 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Rainey,   Henry  T 27 

Rainey,    (Mrs.)    Nettie 427 

Randolph  County,  111... 49,   223-240 
Randolph       County       Centennial 

celebration 49,  223-240 

Randolph       County       Centennial 

Committee    223 

Ravinia   Park,    near   Chicago.  .  .407 
Raymond,     Henry    J.,     Life     of 

Lincoln    78 

Raymond.   J.   H 430,  442 

Read,    ( Mrs. )    Helen   Brown .... 

301,   437 

Reavs'     Bluff,     Capitol    Building 

erected  in    271,  272 

Reavs'  Bluffs.  Site  of  suggested 

for  State  Capital,  etc 271 

Rechner,  Sigmund 427,  438 

Red  Cross  Mission  to  the  Holy 

Land    347 

Red   Sea    348 

Reed,    (Prof.)    E.    B 400 

Rees,    Edwin     430,   442 

Reid,    (Mrs.)    Burton   M...422,  433 
Reid,   David  S.,  of  North  Caro- 
lina     312,  313 

Reid,    (Miss)    Margaret  M.426,   431 

Reid,   (Mrs. )   Walter 441 

Reinbold,   (Mrs.)   Vera 441 

Reinboth,    Norman    430,  442 

Reiss,    Louise    428,   440 

Reiss.  Minnie    428,   440 

Republican   National   Convention 

in  Chicago,  May,  1860 

94,   96,   98-107 

Republican  National   Convention 

of  1860.     Addison  G.   Proctor, 

delegate  to,   from  Kansas.  .  .  . 

94,   96,   98 

Reynolds,    (Gov.)    John 

276,   279.   283,   288.   340 

Reynolds.      (Gov.)      John,      "My 

Own  Times."     Quoted 283 

Reynolds,  (Gov.)  John,  Pro- 
Slavery  Man  279 

Reynolds,    Theresa    427,   438 

Reynolds,    (Judge)    Thomas.  ..  .279 

Reynolds.  Thomas 427,   438 

Revere,  Paul   77 

Rhine  River , 58 

Ribourde,    (Father)    Gabriel    de 

la     434,   436 

Rice.  Wallace 7,  37,  38, 

52,  53.  91-93,  223,  225,  226, 
23R-241.  259,  290.  296.  363. 
366,  371,  387,  395,  397-410, 
413,  414,  421,  423,  432,  436,  441 

Rice,  Wallace.  Centennial  Flag 
or  Banner  designed  by.. 387.  414 

Rice.  Wallace.  Centennial  Hymn, 
"Our  Illinois"  7 

Rice.  Wallace,  Centennial  Song. 
"Hail  Illinois"  413 

Rice.  Wallace,  The  Freeinsr  of 
Illinois.  Poem  233-234 

Rice,  Wallace.  Illinois  and  the 

War.  Centennial  Poem  

52,  53,  91-93 

Rice.  Wallace,  "The  Masque  of 

Illinois"  38,  290, 

296,  366,  371,  395,  421,  432,  441 


PAGE 

Rice,  Wallace,  "The  Masque  of 
Illinois,"  Presented  on  Aug. 
26  and  Oct.  4  and  5,  in  Coli- 
seum State  Fair  Grounds.  .  .  . 

290,    296,    421.   441 

Rice,   Wallace,    "The  Masque   of 

Illinois,"   given   at  Vandalia.  .259 
Rice,  Wallace,  Ode  to  Kaskaskia 

225,   226,   236-240 

Rice,    Wallace,    Pageant    of    the 

Illinois   Country    

..38,  366,  395,  397,  401,  402,  406 
Rice,    Wallace,    Pageant   writer, 

Illinois   Centennial    

37,   38,   223,   225, 

363,    371,    395,    397-410,    421,   441 
Rice,  Wallace,  Pageants  and 

Masques.     Report 397-410 

Rice,  Wallace,  Poem,  "The  Free- 
ing of  Illinois 233-234 

Rice,  Wallace,  Poem,  "Illinois 
and  the  War."  Read  at  Cele- 
bration, Illinois  Day,  Dec.  3, 

1917    53 

Rice,  Wallace,  "Six  Little  Plays 

for  Illinois   Children" 

38,   366,  401 

Rice,  Wallace,  and  Stevens, 
Thomas  Wood.  "The  Topaz 

Amulet"    408 

Rice,  Wallace  and  Steven-s, 
Thomas  Wood.  Masque,  "The 

Chaplet    of    Pan" 407 

Richards,  Edna    428,   440 

Richards,    Elizabeth    428,   440 

Richardson,  William  A 340 

Rickenbacker, ,  Aviator  of 

German    origin    in    the    U.    S. 

Service 248 

Rick,    Herman   J 431,  442 

Riddell,  (Justice)  William  Ren- 
wick,  Abraham  Lincoln.  Ad- 
dress   108-121 

Riddell,    (Justice)   William  Ren- 
wick    of    the    Supreme    Court 
of  Ontario,   Canada...  94,   96,   108 
Riefler,    Harold    J.,    Manager    of 

the  United  Press  Bureau 382 

Riefler,   Stuart    425.   439 

Ri^srs,      Illinois.      Daughter      of 

Romulus  Riggs    287 

Riggs.  Romulus,  Presents  bell 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 

Vandalia    286,  287 

Riley,  James 427,  438 

Riley,    (Rev.)    Lester    Leake. . . 

96,   300,   437 

Rio   Grande   River 310 

Riordan.    Right     (Rev.    Monsicr- 

nor)    D.    J 295 

Risse,    Robert    427 

Riswold.  Gilbert  P.,  Sculptor  of 
the  Douglas  Statue  on  State 

House  Grounds    

51,    291,   295,    296,   298,   385 

River  Nile    347 

River  Potomac    140,   142,  155 

River   Seine    240 

River  Thames    240 

Rofuis,  Early  roads  in  Illinois..  2H4 

Roberts,  Elsie 42S.  440 

Roberts,    Louis     431,   442 


INDEX 


Robertson,  Donald,  Reads  poem, 
dedication    Lincoln    Statue 
Oct.    5,    1918  .......  294,    299,   407 

Kobinson,   Eleanor    .......  424    437 

Robinson,  W.  B  ...........  430,   442 

Rochambeau,     Comte     de.       See 
Vimeure    Jean    Baptist    Dona- 
tion  de    ..................      200 

Roche,  Martin,  Member  of  the 
State  Art  Commission  ....... 

Rockford'  College  '.'          .  .  .'  .  428*   440 
Rockford,  111.,  Camp  Grant,  Cen- 

tennial Celebration  held  in...  378 
Rockford,   111.,   Register-Gazette. 
Newspaper.       Quoted    on    the 
Centennial   of  Illinois  ____          393 

Rock  Island,  111.,  Marks  the  first 
water  power  site  on  the  Miss- 
issippi  River   ...........          380 

Rock   Island,   111  ......  380,   391/431 

Rock  Island,  111.,  Union.     News- 
paper.     Quoted    on    the    Cen- 
tennial   of    Illinois  .....  391 

Rockwell,  G.  C  .......  426    430*442 

Rockwell     (Mrs.)   G.   C....426|  430 

Rodger,  Mildred   ____ 

Rogers,    Helen    M  ......    424"  43  7 

Rogers,    (Rev.)    Euclid   B  ____  .'.    96 

Rogers,    (  Rev.  )  ,    Missionary  ____  1  7  1 

Rolle,    Louis    N  ......  431    449 

Rollin,  Charles,   Historian.'. 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  .          "393 
Rome     ............  141 

Rops,  Frederick  B.,  Member'  of 
Advisory  Committee,  Illinois 
State  Senate  Centennial  Com- 


mission 


26 


......... 

Roosevelt,  Archie   .'  '.  '. 
Roosevelt,    (Col.)   Theodore!!' 

' 


Address,     Centennial     of     Illi- 
nois,  Aug.    26,    1918,   at  State 
Fair   Grounds    ..........  243-258 

Roosevelt,     (Col.)    Theodore 
Quoted  on  the  "World  War.  .  .' 

Roosevelt,'  '(Mrs.')'  'Theodore253'  III 

•Root.     George     F.,     Author     of 

The  Battle  Cry  of  Freedom," 

Just     Before     the     Battle, 

Mother"  and  "Tramp,  Tramp 

Tramp  the  Boys  Are  March- 

ing"     ........  071 

Rose,  Alice  Coe  ____  426 

Rosemeyer,    (Dr.) 
Ross,    Ethel    Lynn  . 
Ross,    Robert    W.,    Souvenir  '  of 
Vandalia,  111  ...........  284,  285 

Rothenberger,     (Rev.)     William 


i*. 


135 


Rothschild,    Alonzo/  L  i  n  c  ol  n    * 
Master  of  Men....  '  73 

Rottger,  Curtis  H  .........  VsV  '  442 

Roumania  .........    202    20?    < 

Roundtree,   C.    O.  ........  '.So!  442 

Kowan,  Jeannette  .......    426    438 

Runge,  Robert  C  ..........  429'  440 

Runyan,    Dorothy    ........  427    433 

Ruschke,    Anna    ........      428*   440 

Russel,    (Hon.)   Andrew  ____ 

—31  C  C 


PAGE 

Russel,    (Mrs.)   Andrew 53 

Russell,   James    439 

Russia    89 

154,    202,    203,    212,    217,    250/256 
Russia,  Bolshevism  in  Russia. . 

„  •; 89,   250,   256 

Rutledge,  Ann,  Early  sweetheart 

of  Abraham  Lincoln 385 

Rutledge  Inn,   New  Salem  111..    42 
Ryan,   Charles,   Winner  of  fifth 

prize,  Centennial  Poster 421 

Ryan,  Margaret    427 

Ryan,    (Mrs.)   Walter 427 


Sack,  Anna  429,  440 

Sack,   Herman    429'  449 

Sack,   Marie    423'  440 

St.  Charles,  (Kane  County), 
111.,  Centennial  Celebration.  .378 

St.   Clair,  Arthur 169 

St.  Clair  County,  111 

e   •••,•'•  -55.   137,   173,   338,   339,   377 

St.  Clair  County,  111.,  Centennial 
Celebration,  held  in  Perrin 
Park,  Belleville,  111 377 

St.  Clair  County,  111.,  English 
Prairie  (Called  Little  Britain) 
gg 

St.  Clair  County,  111.,  '  Slavery 
Resolution,  1823  ...  173 

St  Clair  County,  111.,  Union 
Grove  ^37 

St.  Julian,  World  War! ! ! ! ! !    ! !  118 

St.   Louis,   Mo 

....... 137,   284,  388,'  889*. '  401 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Globe  Democrat. 
Quoted  on  the  Centennial  of 
the  State  of  Illinois 388,  389 

bt  Louis,  Mo.,  Pageant  of  St. 
Louis,  by  Thomas  Wood 
Stevens  401 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Stage  lines'  'from 
in  an  early  day 284 

St.  Mihiel,  France,  World  War 
205  327 

St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  Springfield, 
111.,  Centennial  Banquet, 

Catholic  Societies .295 

St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  Springfield, 
Ills.,  Centennial  luncheon 

given    in 241 

St      Peter's     Episcopal  '  Church, 

Safem,    ills'   M° 295'  ^ 

Salonika     ...       "  "us 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah !'.!!!'.  55 

Ills  Works     in     Shawneetown, 
Salvation'  Army  ".'.'.'.'.'.' '  '  '2°9'   43? 
Salzenstein,    Jeanette    .     "'426''  4 
Salzman,    (Corporal)    Paul,   Illi- 

nois  soldier.   World  War. .    .330 
Sammons,    Charles    . 
Sammons,   W.   H.  '497 
Sandham,    William    R.," Articles 
on   the   Governor's   of  Illinois, 
Centennial    contribution.  .384,   385 
San    Francisco,    California.     Bo- 
hemian  Club    403 


482 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Sangamon      County      Centennial 

Association    38 

Sangamon  County,  Ills.,  Centen- 
nial Committee 39,  422,  432 

Sangamon  County,  Ills.,  First 
school  house,  site  of,  marked 
by  the  Springfield  Chapter, 

D.  A.   R 380 

Sangamon  County,  Ills.,  Portu- 
guese refugees  in  Sangamon 

County,    Ills 55 

Sangamon   River    346,  354 

San    Marino    431,  443 

Sault    Ste.    Marie 59 

Saunders  (Mrs.)  Sarah  J.,  Sister 

of   Ann   Rutledge 385 

Sawyer,   A.    D 431,  442 

Sawyer,  Amos    430,  442 

Sawyer,     Tom,     Mark     Twain's 

character     167 

Scandinavia     327 

Scandinavian    settlement   in 

Henry  County,   Ills 55 

Scarf,    Robert    425,   439 

Scharer,    (Miss    Edythe) 430 

Schevers,    (Miss)    Marie 441 

Schirnding,    Celia    438 

Schmidt,  ,  Mayor  of  Mar- 

tinville,    Ind 248 

Schmidt,    Fred    429,   440 

Schmidt    Costume    &    Mfg.    Co., 

Chicago 431,   444 

Schmidt,  (Dr.)  Otto  L.,  Chair- 
man of  the  Illinois  Centennial 

Commission   3,   17,   18, 

19,  20,  22,  23,  27,  52,  53, 
94,  96,  134,  223,  225,  241,  242, 
243,  259,  291,  294,  295,  298, 
332,  333,  334,  397,  412,  421,  432 
Schmidt,  (Dr.)  Otto  L,.,  Presi- 
dent Illinois  State  Historical 

Society     134 

Schnepp,   Kenneth    429,   440 

Schnepp    William   H 429,   440 

Schoknecht,   R 428,   440 

Schon,    Francis    437 

Schon,    Marie   1 425,   437 

Schroeder,    W.    R 430,   442 

Schultz,  John,  Member  of  Illi- 
nois Centennial  Commission.  .  20 

Schuppel.    Charles    427,   441 

Schurz,    Carl    77,   103 

Schwarzott,    J.    E 427,   438 

Scott,    Dred,    Case.     Quoted 163 

Scott,    Franklin    William 78 

Scott,    John   L 430,   442 

Scott,   Robert   Falcon 169 

Scott,    (Gen.)    Winfield 92 

Scrogin,    Helen    437 

Scrogin,    Martha    437 

Scully,  Thomas  F.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion  3,  20,  21,  23,  442,  432 

Seip,    Jean    427 

Semple,     (Gen.)    James.  ..  .288,   340 
Semple,    (Gen.)    James,    Speaker 
of    the    House    of    Represent- 
atives   State  of  Illinois,   1834, 

1836 340 

Serbia     201, 

202,    203,    253,    262,    263,    430,   443 


PAGE 

Serbia,    France's   aid   to,   in   the 

World   War    201 

Serbian    Army    262 

Sesser,  Willy  G.,  Winner  of  the 

Centennial  Poster  contest  416,  421 
Seward,   William  H.,    Prominent 
candidate   for  the   Presidency, 
Republican    National    Conven- 
tion,   1860    100, 

102,    103,    104,    106,    107,    111,   127 

Sexton,    (Mrs.)    Jerry 427,  438 

Shade,    L.   W 430,  442 

Shaffer,    J.    D 429,   442 

Shafted,   Mary    425,  437 

Shakespeare,   William. 318,    400,   406 
Shakespeare's    "A   Mid   Summer 
Night's   Dream."    "The   Temp- 
est"      406 

Shakespeare's   Henry   V 400 

Shanahan,  (Hon.)  David  E., 
Centennial  address,  "The 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives," State  of  Illi- 
nois   332,  333,  338-341 

Shanahan,  (Hon.)  David  E., 
Member  of  the  Advisory  Com- 
mittee, Illinois  Centennial 

Commission 26,  27 

Shanahan,  (Hon.)  David  E., 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, State  of  Illinois, 

1914,    1916,    1918 340 

Shand,  Ida  E 424 

Shand,    Mildred    M 424 

Shand,  (Col.)  Richings  J.,  As- 
sists in  presenting  Centennial 
Masque..  .396,  422,  433,  442,  444 

Shanklin,   E.   M 425,   438 

Sharen,    R.    D 430,442 

Shaughnessy,    Anna    425,   437 

Shaughnessy,    Mary    427,   438 

Shaw,  John,  Contested  election 
of  in  the  Illinois  Legislature, 

1823     279 

Shawneetown,  Ills.,  Branch  bank 
of  Illinois  located  in  Shaw- 
neetown   286 

Shawneetown,  Ills.,  Cost  of  a 
trip  from  Vandalia  to  Shaw- 
neetown in  1822 283 

Shawneetown,  Ills.,  LaFayette's 
visit  to  in  1825.  Refer- 
ence   283,  435 

Shawneetown,    Ills.,    Salt    works 

located    in    209,210 

Shearl,    (Dr.)    J.   M 430,   442 

Shelbyville,  Ills... 259,   260,  284,  285 
Shelbyville,     Ills.,     "Glee     Club" 

259,   260 

Shenandoah    Valley   of   Virginia 

60 

Shepardson,     (Dr.)    Francis    W. 

430,  442 

Shepherd,   A.    F 426,  438 

Sheridan,    (Gen.)    Philip   Henry. 

77,   129 

Sherman,  (Hon.)  Lawrence  T., 
Address  Illinois  Day.  Dec.  3, 
1917,  "The  Frontier  State"... 
52,  55-59 


INDEX 


483 


PAGE 

Sherman,  (Hon.)  Lawrence  Y., 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Re- 
presentatives, State  of  Illinois, 

1899-1903    340 

Sherman,  (Hon.)  Lawrence  Y., 
United  States  Senator  from 

Illinois 27,  32,  52,  55,  72,   340 

Sherman,     (Gen.)     William    Te- 

cumseh 77,  129 

Sherborne,  Pagreant  of  1905.... 

„   399,   400 

Sherwood,     (Bishop)     Granville 

H 135,   137 

Shields,    (Gen.)   James.. 68,  72,  390 

Shinn,  E.  B 430,  442 

Shirley's    "Triumph    of    Peace," 

produced  Feb.  3,  1633-34 406 

Shonkweller,  Rowena 438 

Shurtleff    College,    Upper   Alton, 

Ills 213>   428,   440 

Shurtleff,  Edward  D 340 

Siam    430,   443 

Siebert,  Julian   429,  440 

Siedenburg,      (Rev.)      Frederic, 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Publicity,  Illinois  Centennial .  . 

•• 381,   316,   420 

Siedenburg,  (Rev.)  Frederic, 
Invocation,  Centennial  observ- 
ance, Vandalia,  111 260-261 

Siedenburg,  (Rev. )  Frederic, 
Member  Committee  on  Page- 
ants and  Masques,  Centen- 

„  nial     38 

Siedenburg,  (Rev.)  Frederic.  S. 
J.,  Member  Illinois  Centennial 

Commission    

3,    20,    21,   23,   38,   52,  £59. 

260,    295,    381,    416,    420,    422,   432 

Sieving,   Lydia    428    440 

Simmons,    (Major)    Frank   R.  .'. 

_. 429,  443 

Simmons,     (Major)     ,     of 

the    Red    Cross 249 

Simmons,  (Mrs.)  Ray 441 

Simonson,  A.   B 428    439 

Sinniger,  (Mary)  Gary '   443 

Six  Little  Plays  for  Illinois 
Children,  by  Wallace  Rice. . .  . 

0. 38,   366,   401 

Slavery    61,    106, 

111.    131,    162,    163,    173,    174, 
177,    178,    208,    211,    212     261 
262,    277,    278,    279,    280,    281/289 
Slavery,    "Black   Laws"    of    Illi- 
nois    278,  280,   281 

Slavery,  Coles,  Edward,  Work  in 
behalf  of  saving  Illinois  from 
becoming  a  slave  State .  .  . 

61,   211,  212,   261,   262 

Slavery,     Coles     v.     County     of 

Madison,  Case  of.    Reference.  .281 
Slavery,     Dred    Scott    Case 

Quoted     163 

Slavery,  Drives  a  deep  wedge  in 

American  Democracy  ...  162 
Slavery,    Douglas,    Stephen    Ar- 
nold.   Quoted  on 163 

Slavery,  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation    178 

Slavery,  Hansen-Shaw  contest 
Legislature,  State  of  Illinois, 

279 


PAGE 

Slavery,    Illinois    State,    Slavery 

issue  in   211-213 

Slavery,     Lincoln,    Abraham. 

Quoted  on 163 

Slavery,     Lincoln  -  Douglas     De- 
bates, 1858    174 

Slavery,  Missouri  Compromise.  .212 
Slavery,  Nelson  v.  People,  Case 

in  law.     Reference 281 

Slavery,  New  Orleans,  La.,  Slave 

market    177 

Slavery,   Ordinance  of   1787, 
Northwest  Territory   prohibits 

slavery 61,  208,   277,   278 

Slavery,  Underground  railroad.  .219 

Slesvig,  Danes  of  Slesvig 203 

Smith,   (Rev.)  A 294 

Smith,  Edward 429    442 

Smith,    (Miss)   Elberta 

„ 422,   432,   441 

Smith,    E.    S.,    Chairman   of   the 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission 

(First)    is,  19 

Smith,  E.  S.,  Member  of  the  Illi- 
nois    Centennial     Commission 

elected  chairman   18,  19 

Smith,  Frederick  H.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission 

3    21    23 

Smith,  Goldwin' ...'.'.  '.  /121 

Smith,    (Major)    Hal  M 429,   444 

Smith,  Harry  L 

„   •. 424,   428,   437,   439,   442 

Smith,  Henry  L 430 

Smith,  Imogene 437 

Smith,  Jeanette   426,  441 

Smith,    Jessie 427,   438 

Smith,  Joseph,  Mormon  Prophet 

Smith!  Pats'ey  '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.  424', '437 

Smith,  T.  C 430,  442 

Smith,   (Judge)   Theophilus  W.  .279 

Smith,  Topsy  427 

Smith,  William  M.,  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives, 

State  of  Illinois,  1870 .340 

Solenberger,  H.  M 425,   437 

Solomon.    G.    W 429    442 

Somdal,    (Miss)  Anna '  441 

Somme,  Battle  of,  World  War     199 

Sommer,  Margaret 428    440 

Sommer,   Tena    428*  440 

Sorbonne,   of  France '  207 

South    Africa    142  '317 

South  Carolina  State 

_   •:,••"••,• 69-  7°.  124/310 

South  Carolina  State,  Baker,  Ed- 
ward Dickinson,  extract  from 
speech,  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  in  which  he  success- 
fully combated  the  right  of 
South  Carolina  to  secede  from 

the  Union    69    70 

Southwick,    (Mrs.)    Barella. 

Spain-::::::::::;;;;;;;;;425'  Ts 

Spanish-American  War  .  .  . 

„ •  •  •  •  •  • 64,  390,  436', '  443 

Spear  Family    42 

Spengler,  George   '.V.Vl, '  442 

Spindel,    (Dr.)    E.   S  499    442 

Spitznagle,    Margaret    .      ..428!   440 

Springer,  Charles 43 o'   442 

Springer,   (Mrs.)   Charles...      '  430 


484 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Springfield,  111 

29,   30,  36,   43,  57,  65, 

71,    89,    97,    98,    135,    136,    217, 
275,    276,    385,   394,    421,    422,   432 
Springfield,     111.,     Art    Associa- 
tion   135,  136,   421 

Springfield,  111.,  Centennial  Cele- 
bration, by  Hugh  S.  Magill, 

Jr 97-98 

Springfield,  111.,  Centennial  Ob- 
servance   29,  30,  97-98 

Springfield,  111.,  Citizens  of,  con- 
tribute $100,000,  toward  the 
purchase  of  land  for  the  Cen- 
tennial Building  36 

Spring-field,    111.,    News  -  Record, 

Centennial  edition    385 

Springfield,  111.,  News  -  Record, 
newspaper.  Quoted  on  the 

Centennial  of  Illinois 394 

Springfield,  111.,  Race  riot.  Ref- 
erence   217 

Springfield,  111.,  Removal  of  the 

State  Capitol  to 276 

Springfield,  111.,  Vote  on  for  the 

State  Capitol  275 

Spurway,  H.  J 431,  442 

Staab,  Gertrude 427,  438 

Stage  Lines  in  an  Early  Day  in 

Illinois     284 

Staley,  Converse 427 

Staley,   Niana    426 

Standish,  Miles   169 

Stanton,  Edwin  M 127 

Stark  el,  Charles  H.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission  20 

Starne,    (Mrs.)    Paul   L 437,   441 

Stars     and     Stripes,     Newspaper 

published  World  War 268 

Starved  Rock  (Fort  St.  Louis). 

207.   208,   376 

Starved  Rock,  LaSalle  County, 
111.,  Historical  Pageant,  July 

4-5,    1918     .376 

Statue.  Douglas,  Stephen  Arnold 
on  the  State  House  Grounds, 

Dedicated  Oct.   5,   1918 

51,    291,    295,    296,    298.   385 

Statue,  Lincoln,  Abraham  on 
State  House  Grounds,  Dedi- 
cated Oct.  5,  1918 

51,    293,    296,    298.   385 

Statue  of  the  Republic.  Jackson 
Park,  Chicago,  unveiled,  work 

of  Daniel   C.   French 379 

Steelman,    (Mrs.)    Harry 441 

Steelman,   Sophia    429 

Stehman,    Walter    429,  441i 

Steiner,    J.    H 377 

Steinke,    T 429,   440 

Stephenson   Post   No.    30,    G.    A. 

R 427,   441 

Stericker,  Louise 437 

Stevens,   A.    D 422,   433 

Stevens,    Bessie    438 

Stevens,    Ellen     438 

Stevens,    (Mrs.)    Mamie 427,   438 

Stevens,    Svbil    441 

Stevens.  Thomas  Wood,  Head  of 
the  Dramatic  School  of  the 
Carneerie  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy, Pittsburg,  Pa 410 


PAGE 

Stevens,     Thomas    Wood,     "His- 
torical Pageant  of  Illinois". .  .401 
Stevens,      Thomas     Wood,     The 
Pageant  of  the  Italian  Renais- 
sance      400 

Stevens,    Thomas   Wood,    "Page- 
ant of  the  Old  Northwest". .  .401 
Stevens,  Thomas  Wood,  Pageant 

of   St.   Louis,    1914 401 

Stevens,      Thomas     Wood,     and 
Rice,    Wallace,    "The    Chaplet 

of  Pan,"  Masque 407 

Stevens,      Thomas     Wood,      and 
Rice,     Wallace,     "The     Topaz 

Amulet"    408 

Stevens,    J.    M 427,   441 

Stewart,     (Mrs.)    W.    D 427,438 

Stock,   Frederick,   Leader  of  the 

Chicago    orchestra    407 

Stone,   F.    C 431,   442 

Stone,      (Rev.)      John     Timothy, 

D.    D 323 

Storrs,    Emery    72 

Stout,    Harry    E 429,   443 

Stowars,   Frank    425,439 

Stratham,    Marie    427 

Stratham,    Muriel    425,   437 

Streckfuss,    Hedwig    428,440 

Streckfuss,    Ruth    428,   440 

Strong,    Thomas     429,  442 

Struble,   H.  E 431,  442 

Stuart     &     Lincoln,     law     firm, 

Springfield,    Ills 179 

Stuart,   Mabel    438 

Stuart,    Mary    426,  441 

Sturm,    Alma    428,   440 

Sturm,  Elizabeth    428,  440 

Sturm,    Katherine    428,   440 

Sturtevant,    (Mrs.)   E.  L 441 

Stuve,      Bernard,      Davidson      & 
Stuve,      History     of     Illinois. 

Quoted     286 

Sullivan,   Dorothy    426,  441 

Sullivan,    T.    J 425,437 

Summerfield,  (St.  Clair  County), 

Ills 137 

Sumner,    Charles,    Senator   from 

Massachusetts    84 

Supreme  Court,  State  of  Illinois, 

135,    260,    2J8, 

281,    284,    288,    332,    341-344,   359 
Supreme  Court.  State  of  Illinois, 
Centennial    Address    by    Hon. 

James  H.   Cartwright 

332,     341-344 

Supreme  Court  of  Ontario,  Can- 
ada     94,    96,   108 

Swan,    Bertha    427 

Swett.   Leonard    72 

Sword    of    America,    Masque    by 

William   Chauncey  Langdon..409 
Syria    118 


Taft,    Lorarto,    Sculptor 396 

Tanner,    (Gov.)    John   R 295 

Tanner.    (Mrs.)    John    R 53 

Tarr,  Edward   429,   440 

Tarr,   Lillie    428,  440 


INDEX 


485 


PAGE 

Taylor,  John  L.,  Concert  Master, 

Masque    of    Illinois 431,  444 

Taylor,  John  L.,  Orchestra 

135,    137,    299,    431,  444 

Taylor,     (Pres.)     Zachary 68 

Taylorville,   111 284 

Tempest,    (The),    Shakespeare.  .406 

Temple  Boys'   Choir 135,  136 

Tennessee   State    15,  62,  302 

Tennesse  State,  Admitted  to  the 

Union,    1796 15 

Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  National 
Road  from  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

to  Vandalia,  111 284 

Terry,  (Judge)  David  S.,  Duel 
with  David  C.  Broderick. 

Reference    69 

Thayer,    William   M 78 

Thiele,    Delphine    428 

Thoma,    G.    H 429,  442 

Thomas,    (Gen.)    George   H 129 

Thomas,  (Senator)  Jesse  Bur- 
gess   173 

Thomas,    Joseph    L 377 

Thomas,  Laura    441 

Thomas,   (Rev.)   J.  R 298 

Thompson,  Charles  M.,  Illinois 
Centennial  History,  Vol.  IV. 
The  Industrial  State,  1870- 
1893.  Edited  by  Ernest  L. 
B  o  g  a  r  t  and  Charles  M. 

Thompson 34,  147,  445 

Thompson,   Ethel    426,   438 

Thompson,   J.    S 427 

Thon,    Rose    437 

Thornton,    Harry    J 429,   442 

Tice,  Homer  J.,  Member  of  Cen- 
tennial Commission,  House  of 

Representatives    20 

Tiley,    (Miss)    Pearl   M.,   Writer 

of  Belleville,  111.,  Pageant 377 

Tilley,   Helen    437 

Tilson,   D.   M 428,  439 

Tobacco  Planters  of  Virginia. .  .146 
Todd,  John,  Jr.,  County  Lieuten- 
ant   Illinois    as    a    County    of 

Virginia     150 

Todd,  John.     Record  Book,  1779 

188 

Tolan,    Genevieve    425 

Tomlin.    Frank    431,   442 

Tonti,  Henri  de 66.   91, 

92,    196,    235,    238,    240,    434.   436 
"Topaz     Amulet,"     By     Stevens 

and  Rice 408 

Traeger,  John  E.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion    20 

"Tramp,  Tramp.  Tramp  the 
Boys  are  Marching",  by 

George    F.   Root 371 

Trent,  Thelma   438 

Trenton,    111 137 

Triumph  of  Peace  by  Shirley. 
Produced  by  the  Members  of 
the  Four  Inns  of  Court,  at 

London,    Feb.    3,    1633-4 406 

Troesch,    Elizabeth    425,   437 

Troesch.    Helen    438 

Troth,   Lillibelle    426,   438 

Troxell,   Gladys    425,   437 


PAGE 
Troxell,  Robert  W 

422,    429,    433,   444 

Troy,  New  York  Times.     Quoted 

on  the  Centennial  of  Illinois.  .390 

True,   Cecil    427 

True,    Ruth    427 

Trumbell,  Dwight    425,   439 

Trumbull,  Lyman 

68,  72,  187,   213,   221 

Trumbull,  Lyman,   Trumbull 

Papers 187 

Tucker,     George,     of     Virginia. 

Footnote   210 

Tucker,    J.    M 428,   439 

Tunney,  George  J 428,  439 

Turkey    203 

Turkey    Hill,    St.    Clair   County, 

111 55 

Turley,   T 429,  442 

Turner,   Frederick   J.,   Historian 

199 

Turner,     Jonathan     Baldwin, 

Work  in  behalf  of  education. 

Footnote   214 

Turner,  Thomas  J 340 

Tuxhorn,  Lillie    440 

Tuxhorn,  Lydia 44J) 


U 


Ukraina    202 

Ulysses    169 

Underfanger,  John   441 

Union    County,    111.,    Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference    378 

Union   Grove,    St.   Clair  County, 

111 137 

United  States 

34,   59,   75,  114, 

146,    148,    185,    246,    270,    273,  274 
United  States  Congress  Journals 

of.     Quoted   273,  274 

United  States  Congress,  Library 

of  Congress   185 

United  States  Flag,  French  chil- 
dren's tribute  to  in  Paris.  .  .  .207 
United  States  Flag,   Loyalty  to, 

tribute  by  Roosevelt 246 

United  States  Mint 34 

United  States,  Statutes  at  Large. 

Quoted 270 

University  of  Illinois 

17,  19,  20,  134,  136,  137,  185,   214 

Urbana,  111 421,   422,   432 

"Urbs    in    horto,"    Seal    of    Chi- 
cago    211 

Uruguay    443 

Utt,  John  P 430,   442 


Vail,    C.   W 428,   439 

Vallandigham,  Clement  Laird  of 
Ohio  126 

Valley  Forge,  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution   327 

Valley  of  the  Ohio,  Emigration 
to  156 

Vancil,  Burke  

. 424,  425,  436,  437,  438 


486 


PAGE 

Vandalia  Colony,  Colony  of  Van- 
dalia  West  of  Virginia.  Ref- 
erence   273 

Vandalia,  111 23,  29,  30,  40, 

259-289,    395,    396,    397,    421,   432 

Vandalia,  111.,  Capital  agitation 
over  the  removal  of,  from 
Vandalia  275,  276 

Vandalia,  111.,  Capital  of  the 
State.  Second  Capital. .  .50,  272 

Vandalia,  111.,  Capitol  Building. 
First  one  burned,  Dec.  9, 
1823  274,  275 

Vandalia,  111.,  Capitol  Building. 
Second  one  275 

Vandalia,  111.,  Carter,  (Justice) 
Orrin  N.  Centennial  Address, 
Vandalia  and  Fayette  County 
Celebration 269-289 

Vandalia,  111.,  Centennial  Masque 
given  in  Vandalia,  Sept.  26, 
1918  40,  396,  397 

Vandalia,  111.,  Centennial  Ob- 
servance   

...    29,   30,   50,  259,   289,  396,   397 

Vandalia,  111.,  Cost  of  a  trip  from 
Vandalia  to  Shawneetown  in 
1822  283 

Vandalia,  111.,  Ferdinand  Ernst, 
from  Hanover,  Germany,  lo- 
cates near  Vandalia 287,  288 

Vandalia,  111.,  Illinois  State 
Bank,  located  in  Vandalia. .  .  .286 

Vandalia,  111.,  Illinois,  Wabash, 
Indiana,  and  Vandalia  Land 
Companies  273 

Vandalia,  111.,  Last  session  of 
the  Legislature  held  in  1838.  .276 

Vandalia,  111.,  Mails  sent  out 
from,  in  an  early  day 284 

Vandalia,  111.,  Origin  of  the 
name  272-274 

Vandalia,  111.,  Romulus,  Riggs, 
Presents  bell  to  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Vandalia 286,  287 

Vandalia,  111.,  Robert  W.  Ross, 
Historical  Souvenir  of  Van- 
dalia   273.  284,  285 

Vandalia,  III.,  Second  Capital, 
State  of  Illinois 259,  264 

Vandalia,  111.,  William  C.  Green- 
up,  Surveyed  the  original  town 
of  Vandalia  273 

VanDyke,  Henry,  "A  Prayer  for 
our  Boys"  300 

VanHorn,   Dorothy    428,   440 

VanHorn.  Katherine 428,   440 

Verdun,  Battle  of,  "World  War.. 199 

Vermilion  County,  111.,  Centen- 
nial Celebration.  Reference.  .  .378 

Vermont  State 15,  157,   304,  339 

Vermont  State,  Admitted  to  the 
Union,  1791  15 

Vicksburg.  Miss.,  Siege  of,  War 
of  the  Rebellion 63,  327 

Victoria  Cross,  World  War 266 

Vigo.  Francis 169 

Vimeure.  Jean.  Baptist  Dona- 
tion de.  See  (Rochambeau) .  .200 

Vimy  Ridge.  World  War 118 

Vincennes,  Ind 14,  60,  172,  284 


PAGE 

Vincennes,  Ind.,  Clark,  George 
Rogers,  captures  Vincennes.. 
14,  60 

Virginia  State  14,  32, 

60,  61,  62,  66,  77,  134,  136, 
144,  146,  147,  149,  150,  151,  274 

Virginia  State,  Bill  of  Rights...  147 

Virginia  State,  Constitution  of, 
1776  147 

Virginia  State  Department  of, 
Archives  149 

Virginia  State,  Eckenrode,  H. 
J.,  Virginia  in  the  Making  of 
Illinois 134,  136,  144-153 

Virginia  State,  Hening's  Virginia 
Statutes  at  Large.  Quoted.. 27 4 

Virginia  State,  Henry  Patrick, 
Governor  of  Virginia 60 

Virginia  State  Historical  So- 
ciety   144 

Virginia  State,  House  of  Bur- 
gesses   147 

Virginia  State,  Illinois  a  County 
of  Virginia 14 

Virginia  State,  Northwest  Terri- 
tory ceded  to  the  general 
government  by  Virginia 61 

Virginia  State,  Planters  of  Vir- 
ginia   147 

Virginia  State,  Share  in  the 

making  of  Illinois 

134,  136,  150,  151 

Virginia  State,  Shenandoah 
Valley  of  Virginia 60 

Virginia  State,  Settled  by  the 
English  146 

Virginia  State,  Tobacco  Plant- 
ers   146 

Virginia  State,  Virginia  in  the 
making  of  Illinois.  Address 

by  H.  J.  Eckenrode 

134,  136,  144-153 

Visscher,  William  Lightfoot, 
Historical  sketches  on  the  be- 
ginnings of  Chicago.  Cen- 
tennial Contribution  384 

Viviani,    (Monsieur)    Rene.  197,  198 

Vogt,   Julia    428,   440 

Voile,    Hilma    429,   440 

VonHindenburg,  (Gen.)  Paul... 
58 

VonHolst,  Herman  Edward, 
Historian.  See  Hoist 77,  289 

Vorhees,  Jno.  W 431,  442 

Vose,  John,  Jr 430,  442 


W 

Wabash,  Indiana,  and  Vandalia 
Land  Companies  273 

Wabash  River 

14,  139,  173,  195,  286 

Wabash  Valley   169 

Waddell,  (Mrs.)  J.  V..  Takes 
the  part  of  Illinois  in  "The 
Masque  of  Illinois,"  given  at 
Vandalia  259 

Wade.  (Senator)  Benjamin  of 
Ohio  84 

Wadkins.    (Miss)    Minnie 441 

Walgren,    Nona    426,   439 


INDEX 


487 


PAGE 

Wallace,  (Mrs.)  Florence  Ma- 
gill,  Directs  Pageant  at 
Starved  Hock  376 

Wallace,  (Mrs.)  Florence  Magill, 
Pageant  and  Masque  at  Old 
Salem,  presented  under  direc- 
tion of  43 

Wallace,  Florence  Magill, 
"Pageant  Building"  38G 

Waller,  Peter  A.,  Member  of 
Illinois  Centennial  Commis- 
sion    20 

Walpole  Company  or  Grand 
Ohio  Company  273 

Walters,    (Dr.)   J.  C 430,  442 

Walters,    (Dr.)    Scott 425,  438 

Wanless,   Fred    429,  442 

War  of  1812 62,  152,  436,   443 

War  of  1812,  Battle  of  Lundy's 
Lane  62 

War  of  1812,  Battle  of  New  Or- 
leans    62 

War  of  the  Rebellion 

35,  59,  62,  63,  70,  82,  88,  105, 
106,  121,  125,  126,  132,  200, 
213,  214,  215,  219,  221,  248, 
263,  278,  281,  282,  288,  293, 
299,  311,  315,  318,  322,  323, 
326,  327,  328,  363,  364,  372, 
378,  394,  400,  435,  436,  441,  443 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Appo- 
mattox,  Va 327 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Baker, 
(.Col. )  Edward  Dickinson. 
Killed  at  the  Battle  of  Ball's 
Bluff  70 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Battle  of 
Ball's  Bluff  70,  221,  288 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Battle  of 
Bull  Run  126 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Battle  of 
Fort  Donelson  63,  326 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Battle  of 
Fredericksburg  126 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Battle  of 
Gettysburg  327 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Causes 
leading  up  to 62,  63 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Douglas, 
Stephen  Arnold.  Quotation 
from  his  speech,  General  As- 
sembly of  Illinois,  1861 311 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Douglas 
support  of  Lincoln  during  try- 
ing days  of  the  War 315 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Fifer, 
(Hon.)  Joseph  W.,  Illinois 
in  the  Civil  War.  Address, 
Illinois  Day,  Dec.  3,  1917.. 59-65 

War    of    the    Rebellion,     Grand 

Army  of  the  Republic 35, 

221,    294,    299,    363,    364,    372,   378 

War    of    the    Rebellion,    Illinois' 

Gift  in  Men,  etc 

63,   67,    82,    88,   213,   215 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Illinois 
leaders  in  215 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Illinois 
men  in 63,  67,  82,  213,  215 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Illinois, 
number  of  men  and  battles  in 
which  they  were  engaged....  63 


PAGE 

War  of  the  Rebellion,  Stephen- 
son  Post,  No.  30,  G.  A.  R.  . .  . 

427,   441 

War    of    the    Rebellion,    Vicks- 

burg,   Siege  of 63,  327 

War   of   the   Revolution 

14,  33,   60,  67,  68,  77,   142, 

148,    149,    177,    229,    230,    264, 
273,    274,    316,    327,    329,    342,   436 
War    of    the    Revolution,    Battle 

of  Concord 77,  264,  329 

War    of    the    Revolution,    Battle 

of  Lexington 77,   264,   329 

War   of    the    Revolution,    Valley 

Forge 327 

War   of    the    Revolution,    Battle 

of  Yorktown 327 

War   of    the   Revolution,    Ended 

in  1781    14 

War  of  the  Revolution,  York- 
town,  Surrender  316 

Warren,  Alice    427 

Warren,  (Mrs.)  P.  B.,  Member 
of  Springfield  Cast  Committee, 

Centennial   "Masque"    

39,  396,  422,   433 

War  with  Mexico 

62,   310,   369,   390,   443 

War     with     Mexico,     Battle     of 

Buena   Vista    92 

War  with  Mexico,  Douglas, 
Stephen  Arnold.  Quotation 
from  Speech,  United  States 
House  of  Representatives .... 

310,   311 

War  with  Mexico,  Douglas, 
Stephen  Arnold.  Quoted  on . . 

310,   311 

War    with    Mexico,    Douglas, 

Support  of    313 

War,  World  War.  see  World 
War. 

Washburn,    C.   A 430,  442 

Washburne,  Elihu  B 78,   390 

Washburne,  Elihu  B.,  Life  of 
Edward  Coles.  Footnotes .... 

281,   282 

Washington,  D.   C...27,   83,  87,   274 

Washington,  George 

62,  63,   76,   77,  81,   85,   99,   109, 
126,    132,    149,    153,    165,    178, 
193,    216,    235,    239,    246,    247,  252 
Washington,     George,     Farewell 

Address.      Reference    247 

Washington,  George,  Surveyor.  .339 

Watkins  Family   42 

Watson,    Harry    426,   438 

Watson,  Roxana 438 

Waxhaw,   N.   C 302 

Weakley,   (Dr.)   Geo.  B 431,  442 

Weber,  Jessie  Palmer 

3,   17,   18.   19,   20,   22, 

23,    53,   78,    134,   295,    397,    412, 
417,    418,    419,    420,    421,    432,   433 
Weber,  Jessie  Palmer,  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Pageants 

and   Masques    Centennial 38 

Weber,  Jessie  Palmer,  Secretary 
Illinois  Centennial  Commission 

3, 

17,   18,   19,   20,   22,   23,   53,   134, 
397,    412,    417,    418,    419,    420,   421 


488 


ILLINOIS  CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 


PAGE 

Weber,  Jessie  Palmer,  Secretary 
Illinois  State  Historical  So- 
ciety   134 

Webster,  Daniel 62,  70,  304,  309 

Webster,  Daniel,  Extract  from 
Speech  of,  defending  the  prop- 
erty qualification,  State  of 

Massachusetts,  1780 160-161 

Weed,   Thurlow    100,  101 

Weeks.    (Mrs.)    Bert 441 

Weems,   M.   L 77 

Weil,  William,  Musical  Director, 
Chicago  Centennial  Pageant.. 322 

Weinold,    W.    P 431,  442 

Weites,    Ted    427,438 

Welch,    E.    R 437 

Welsh,   Marian    443 

Westerman,    Marie    428,  440 

Western  Intelligencer,  Edited  by 

Daniel  Pope   Cook 208,  209 

Western  Newspaper  Union,  Co- 
operate with  the  Centennial 

Association     382 

Western  Reserve  University, 

Cleveland,   Ohio   135,  136 

West  Stockbridge,  Mass 339 

West  Virginia  State,  Coal  Pro- 
duction   351 

West  Virginia  State,  Oil  Produc- 
tion   351 

Wesleyan   College,   Bloomington, 

111 428,   440 

Westenberger,    ( Mrs. )    Gary .... 

135,   136,   225 

Wharton,  Samuel,  of  Phila- 
delphia   273 

Wheaton    College,    Wheaton,    111 

428,  440 

Wheeler,  (Dr.)   John  A 428,  439 

Wheeler,  Loren  E.,  Introduces 
in  Congress,  bill  for  the  coin- 
age of  the  Centennial  Half 

Dollar     34,  375 

Wheeling,  West  Va.,  Cost  of 
transportation  to,  in  an  early 

day     283 

Whelan,  Myrtle 437 

White,   Calvin    437 

White,    Gertrude    427,  438 

White,  Katherine   426 

White,  River,  Indiana 170 

White,    Ursula   A 425 

Whitewater  Country,  Indiana. .  .170 

Whittenberg,   A.    L 428,   439 

Wiggins,    Martha    427 

Wiley,     (Miss)    Hilda 441 

Will     County,     111.,     Centennial 

Celebration.     Reference   378 

Williams,   John    78 

Williamson    County,    111.,    Marks 
site    of    spot    where    John    A. 
Logan  delivered  speech  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Civil  War. .  .380 
Williamson,  Lorna  Doone..425,  437 
Williamson,  Virginia  Dare. 425,  437 

Wilson,    (Judge)    William 284 

Wilson,    (Maj.)    Bluford. .  .422,  433 

Wilson,   (Pres.)   Woodrow 

..64,   131,   132,   202,   203,   204,   294 

Wimberg,    (Mrs.)    Helen... 427,  438 

Wimberg,    (Mrs.)    J.   Edward... 441 

Winchester,  111.,  Stephen  Arnold 

Doug-las,  locates  in 304 


PAGE 

Winders,    Wm.    M 431,  442 

Winnebago     County,     111.,     Cen- 
tennial Celebration 378 

Winthrop,   John    158 

Wisconsin   State    14,  247 

Wisconsin    State,    Part    of    the 

Northwest  Territory    60 

Wise,  Marie    437,  441 

Wise,  Slanty 425,  439 

Withey,  Edith   441 

Withey,  Lilla 441 

Wochner,    (Miss)   Theresa 427 

Woman's  Relief  Corps,  G.  A.  R., 
Cooperate     with     the     Illinois 

Centennial  Commission 363 

"Wonderful  Story  of  Illinois,"  by 

Grace  Arlington  Owen 

38,   366,  409 

Wood,  George  C 444 

Wood,  Harlington   422,  433 

Woodford    County,    111.,    Centen- 
nial Celebration.     Reference. .378 

Woodmansee,  R.  E 422,  433 

Work,      H.      C.,      "Marching 

through  Georgia"   371 

Workman,  W.  F 425,  437 

World's  Fair,    Chicago 323 

World  War.  .75,  87,  88,  89,  143, 
152,  155,  200,  215,  217,  227, 
228,  244,  245,  252,  253,  254, 
255,  257,  262,  263,  264,  265, 
266,  323,  324,  325,  326,  327, 
328,  329,  330,  331,  382,  398,  435 
World  War,  Battle  of  the  Marne 

87,  95,  199,  331 

World  War,  Battle  of  the  Somme 
199 

World'  War,  Battle  'of'  Verdun ! !  199 
World  War,  Battle  of  Vimy 

Ridge  118 

World  War,  Canadian  losses  in. 

Reference 117 

World  War,  Chateau  Thierry.  .  .327 
World  War,  Flanders  Field, 

Poem  by  Lieut.  Col.  John  Mc- 

Crae 117-118 

World  War,  France,  Cost  of 

men,     supplies,     crops,     coal 

fields,  etc 201 

World  War,  French  in  the  World 

War,  Men  killed  in  battle 201 

World  War,  Illinois  boys  in .... 

230, 

231,  265,  266,  267,  268,  328,  330 
World  War,  Illinois,  Rainbow 

Division  266 

World  War,  League  of  Nations. 206 

World  War,  Lessons  from 217 

World  War,  Lys  Valley  in  the 

World  War  199 

World  War,  Oise,  Valley,  in  the 

World  War  199 

World  War,  Pacifists  in  the 

World  War.     Roosevelt  quoted 

on  251,  252,  253 

World  War,  Peace  Conference.  .204 
World  War,  Roosevelt  quoted 

on  252,  253 

World  War,  St.  Mihiel,  France 

205,  327 

World  War,  "Stars  and  Stripes." 

Newspaper    published,    World 

War   .  ..268 


INDEX 


PAGE 

World    War,    VanDyke,    Henry, 
"A  Prayer  for  our  Boys".  . .  .300 

Wright,    E.    W 425,   438 

Wright,   Frances   C 441 

Wright,  Miss   441 

Wright,  Thomas   427 

Wyclif  In    1380,   First  used   the 

word  "Pageant"    398 

Wylie,  L.  J 427,  438 

Wyoming,   111 384 

Wythe,  George,   of  Virginia. . .  .149 


Taeck,    Minnie    429,  440 

Yale  College,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

134,  136,  400 

Yale  College,  Pageants  given  by. 4 00 

Yates,   Milicent    85 

Yates,      (Gov.)      Richard,     War 

Governor  of  Illinois. 213,  340,  390 
Yates,      (Gov.)      Richard,     War 
Governor,  prorogued  the  Leg- 
islature     340 

Yates,    (Mrs.)    Richard,    (Cath- 
erine Geer)    83,  84 


PAGE 

Yates,  (Hon.)  Richard,  Ad- 
dress, Illinois  Day,  Dec.  3, 

1917,    "Illinois   Today" 

52,   53,  73-77 

Yetter,  (Mrs.)  Marshall 441 

Yoder,   Grover    430,  442 

Yoggerst,  Josephine    427,  438 

Yoggerst,   Margaret  S 425,  437 

Yoggerst,  Thomas   427,  438 

York,    (Miss)    Pearl 441 

Yorktown,  Battle  of,  War  of  the 

Revolution 316,  327 

Yorktown,     Surrender    of,    War 

of  the  Revolution 316 

Young,    Jane    427 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion   267 

Youngstown,  Ohio,  Vindicator, 
Newspaper.  Quoted  on  the 

Centennial  of  Illinois! 389 

Yung,  Marie,  Arranges  dances 
for  Chicago  Centennial 
Pageant  322 


Zaph,    (Dr.)    S.  D 429,  442 

Zimmerman,   W.   Corboys,    State 

Architect,  1911    35 

Zoellner,    Marie    428,  440 


—32  C  C 


SERSITYOFILLINOIS-URBANA 


